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Raven's Bride (2011)

by Lenore Hart(Favorite Author)

3.35 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

142999424X (ISBN13: 9781429994248)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

St. Martin's Press

review 1: Although this book is not the kind of book I normally read, I decided to read it because I was interested in the subject - having read Mrs. Poe. Told from the perspective of Poe's young bride, it tells the story of how the overwhelming poverty and illness contributed to the despair. and probably, the death of the famed author. I really did not learn anything new and, at times, the descriptions of poverty and hunger grew stale. But if you want a quick read about the life of Poe, this book will serve your purpose.
review 2: I was familiar with Edgar Allan Poe's work, but in eighth grade English class, I was introduced to his personal life as well. We learned he married his COUSIN when she was THIRTEEN and were all quite scandalized. We went on to learn that he ... moredied soon after she died, and there was enough there to make me imagine they were devoted to each other. I remember sitting at my desk and thinking, "She's got a story." Over a decade later, I read it.There was a brief cameo in Anya Seton's "Dragonwyck" that always stood out to me (that was as much of the "story" that I could find until now), but while reading this book I understood the brilliance of that cameo. "Dragonwyck" was a gothic novel and Poe was a famous writer of gothic tales. I guess I had always thought of him in the horror category. Maybe it was always too dark for me. It probably occurred to me before, but this book enforced the idea that he should be included as an author in the category.Anyway, as for the book, I enjoyed reading it and finally getting to read Virginia's story. I have have been jaded by findings while pursuing my love of history and marrying a first cousin did not seem strange. Her young age did seem a bit stranger, but I know it wasn't unheard of at the time. In the back of the book, it says some people wonder if it was ever consummated and I wonder how much of it was for propriety's sake so he could live with his aunt and cousin while supporting them. It did seem that he cared a lot for Virginia, though, and she was his world (from what I've read outside this book). I'm glad this book was written in first person because it seemed more real. However, in order to get the whole story in, Virginia had to be a ghost for part of it (no spoilers, she starts off as a ghost in the first chapter). It seemed fitting since this was Edgar Allan Poe's wife after all. At the end, this part did seem to drag on, though. If it had been too short, I would be complaining it seemed like it was added in as an afterthought. Before reading this book, I thought I would be reading a bunch of books set in Asia or in the Asian culture, but it was my turn on Paperback Swap for this book and when it came in the mail, I *had* to read it right away. Now I want to read some gothic novels! They are my guilty pleasure and I have probably hundreds of the mass produced ones from the 60s and 70s. There are, however, some authors and books from the genre that seem more legitimate. When trying to decide which gothic novel to read next, I remembered one I have been meaning to read for ages. I'm quite embarrassed to admit that I haven't read this one yet. Any guesses? less

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