Mrs. Poe

by Lynn Cullen

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

I went into Mrs. Poe knowing very little of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. I read The Raven in high school, but like most class literature, it was required, a chore, and thus other than a nice poem it was a blip in my high school career.

Having said that, I read Lynn Cullen's Mrs. Poe the week leading up to my brother's wedding. It was the worst time possible to begin this novel as I had difficulty putting it down. I would sneak into the 1800s as often as I could, even if it was only for a moment or two.

In those fleeting moments I would fall into Old New York with descriptions that made me feel as if I were there, rather than surrounded by flowers and ribbon.

While reading Mrs. Poe I was reminded of the 1939 Wizard of Oz. Not for its yellow brick road but its transformation from black and white to color in the blink of an eye. Whenever Frances Osgood entered the Poe residence the colors would fade with the subdue atmosphere, with air you could cut through with a knife. Although, just as Dorothy steps though the door into Munchkinland I breathed a little and took in the change of scenery as we walked out of the dreary home.

As for its characters, I expected to find all of them despicable and loathsome. Yes at times Edgar and his lover Frances were unlikeable, how could they not with their infidelity? Although, I was just as wary with Mrs. Poe and her mother. Despite her frail nature there was something a little off, itching to be discovered.

The Gothic feel to Mrs. Poe was wonderfully paced and I was left rapt with attention. My heart palpitated with the novel's conclusion with an ending I would never have fathomed.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review