Possession- up to Pg. 360

I can't quite contain myself any longer. MUST TALK about this book!!! Now please, please, if you've not read this far in yet, don't read what I am going to say here until you have because I am going to spoil you rotten and that would be such a travesty to steal the joy from you that this book has to offer.

This doesn't happen to me all that often that I start to feel consumed by a story, where I am stealing away as many extra minutes as I can because I am so anxious to find out more. But "Possession" has taken hold of me!

First, I relished the trip that Roland and Maud took to retrace the steps of Ash's journey, reading the writing of our 2 masters to find glimpses of evidence to show if Christabel might have been there too. What an exciting journey- the brooch in itself felt like a revelation, but to have the author melt us into the real life time of Randolph and Christabel was such a surprise that, at first, I didn't even realize what was happening. Brilliant! Both Roland and Maud have an other-timeliness about them that the train ride seemed that it could be those 2 contemporaries, riding together, but no, it wasn't. It was Christabel and Randolph! It almost seemed like we were cheating, getting to be there with them when our Maud and Roland would never share the same privilege, but what a gift for the readers.

I honestly was so moved by the pain and duplicity of emotions the coming together of Christabel and Randolph brought. It seemed so sad and honest- not a celebration of love at all, but a resigning to the destiny of it, it seemed, with each knowing they were for each other, but that circumstances would never grant them a true life together. It felt tragic, with no true bliss in their time together for the end was always looming. It was just as inevitable as the beginning.

Then, we're back in the present world where Wolff, Cropper and Blackadder (what a great name) become key players, sucking the trail laid by Roland and Maud. Of course, the mighty dollar (or pound in this case) becomes a key player as well, as the letters, revealing so much are now to be purchased. And here I have left off, with Roland and Maud about to escape to France. I have so much hope for them.

I am so very eager to get back to it, but I just had to spurt my excitement somewhere and what place is more perfect that our little blog? :)