Inspired by literature's most haunting love triangle, award-winning author Lynn Cullen delivers a pitch-perfect rendering of Edgar Allan Poe, his mistress's tantalizing confession, and his wife's frightening obsession in this new masterpiece of historical fiction to which Sara Gruen says, "Mrs. Poe had my heart racing...Don't miss it!"
1845: New York City is a sprawling warren of gaslit streets and crowded avenues, bustling with new immigrants and old money, optimism and opportunity, poverty and crime. Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is all the rage-the success of which a struggling poet like Frances Osgood can only dream. As a mother trying to support two young children after her husband's cruel betrayal, Frances jumps at the chance to meet the illustrious Mr. Poe at a small literary gathering, if only to help her fledgling career. Although not a great fan of Poe's writing, she is nonetheless overwhelmed by his magnetic presence-and the surprising revelation that he admires her work.
What follows is a flirtation, then a seduction, then an illicit affair...and with each clandestine encounter, Frances finds herself falling slowly and inexorably under the spell of her mysterious, complicated lover. But when Edgar's frail wife, Virginia, insists on befriending Frances as well, the relationship becomes as dark and twisted as one of Poe's tales. And like those gothic heroines whose fates are forever sealed, Frances begins to fear that deceiving Mrs. Poe may be as impossible as cheating death itself...
And don't miss the next captivating novel from Lynn Cullen-Twain's End-where the acclaimed author tells a fictionalized imagining of the relationship between iconic author Mark Twain and his personal secretary, Isabel Lyon.
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
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31 August, 2013:
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31 August, 2013:
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