Precious Bane is a novel written by Mary Webb, first published in 1924. The story is set in rural Shropshire, England, in the early 19th century and follows the life of Prudence Sarn, a young woman with a physical deformity who is ostracized by her community. Despite her physical appearance, Prue is intelligent, kind-hearted, and has a deep love for nature.The novel explores themes of love, loss, and redemption as Prue navigates the challenges of her life. She falls in love with a local farmer named Kester Woodseaves, who ...
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Precious Bane is a novel written by Mary Webb, first published in 1924. The story is set in rural Shropshire, England, in the early 19th century and follows the life of Prudence Sarn, a young woman with a physical deformity who is ostracized by her community. Despite her physical appearance, Prue is intelligent, kind-hearted, and has a deep love for nature.The novel explores themes of love, loss, and redemption as Prue navigates the challenges of her life. She falls in love with a local farmer named Kester Woodseaves, who is also an outcast due to his unconventional beliefs. Their relationship is complicated by the disapproval of their families and the social norms of the time.As Prue and Kester's love grows, they face many obstacles, including the jealousy of Prue's brother, Gideon, who harbors a dark secret. The novel also delves into the lives of other characters in the community, including Prue's mother, who is haunted by her past, and other villagers who are struggling with poverty and hardship.Overall, Precious Bane is a poignant and beautifully written novel that explores the complexities of human relationships and the power of love to overcome adversity. It is a timeless classic that continues to captivate readers today.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. $64.50, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2004 by Kessinger Publishing.
Add this copy of Precious Bane to cart. $84.07, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 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.
