Precious Bane is a novel by Mary Webb that was first published in 1924. The story is set in rural Shropshire, England, during the early 19th century and follows the life of a young woman named Prue Sarn. Prue was born with a cleft lip, which has made her an outcast in her community. Despite this, she has a strong spirit and a deep love for the natural world. As Prue grows up, she faces many challenges, including poverty, family secrets, and the disapproval of her community. However, she also finds love and friendship in ...
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Precious Bane is a novel by Mary Webb that was first published in 1924. The story is set in rural Shropshire, England, during the early 19th century and follows the life of a young woman named Prue Sarn. Prue was born with a cleft lip, which has made her an outcast in her community. Despite this, she has a strong spirit and a deep love for the natural world. As Prue grows up, she faces many challenges, including poverty, family secrets, and the disapproval of her community. However, she also finds love and friendship in unexpected places. The novel is a powerful exploration of the themes of self-acceptance, love, and the beauty of the natural world. Webb's writing is known for its vivid descriptions of the Shropshire landscape and its inhabitants. She also uses dialect and local customs to bring the characters to life. Precious Bane is a timeless classic that has been praised for its beautiful prose and its portrayal of a strong, independent female protagonist.1924. A novel by Mary Webb (Mrs. Henry Bertram Law Webb), the Shropshire Novelist. Her beautifully crafted characters are set against a timeless landscape that Webb knew intimately. Her finest achievement was the award of the Prix Femina, a coveted literary prize, for this her fifth novel, Precious Bane, a story of rural Shropshire in the early nineteenth century. This book was greatly admired by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, who sent the author a letter of appreciation.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $67.09, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $30.97, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $66.38, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Kessinger Publishing.
The sad story is that if I say too much good about this book, other readers might have high expectations and be disappointed.
The truth is that I was enchanted by Mary Webb's poetic writing and her descriptions of nature, as well as her insights into human nature! I also liked very much the strange, eerie "ambiance" of the whole story, and it's setting in what seems to be a past time long gone.
What more can I say? I fell in love with this book!
AOfromPA
Oct 25, 2009
Lyrical beauty
What I love are the descriptions of the beauty of Prue's surroundings: the fields, the hum of insects, rippling water ('troubling of the mere'), or the smell of apples in her attic. I believe that the 'severely dated' language mentioned by other reviewers evokes a place and time long gone but worth remembering. This and the gentle humor are what make Precious Bane one of the most poignant variations of the Cinderella story that I've ever read.
