There are numerous townspeople we come to know and there is the mother of Prue and Gideon, who only wants to be respected and some rest from her endless labors. And then there is the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, who besots the women who see him, and for whom Prue longs, despite knowing no such man would ever accept a “hare-shotten” woman. Prue's narrative voice is a joy. Partly, this is because of the quaint, endearing regional dialect that Webb faithfully reproduces, with colorful turns of phrase that fascinate. (Some of the vocabulary was unfamiliar, but I could usually glean the meaning from the context.) But mostly, it's because of her warm embrace of life, her caring heart for her fellow humans, and her delight in the sheer beauty of the natural world (richly described here in all of its glory, at a time before industrial pollution and urban sprawl menaced and defiled it; Webb clearly shared her protagonist's delight in it). She's one of the most beautiful souls you'll ever meet in a book (on both the inside and the outside; just because a lady happens to have a cleft palate doesn't mean she's not good-looking --and if you don't know that, Webb will educate you!), and as innately classy as any noblewoman in England. (Though I didn't shelve this as an "action heroine" book, at one point she actually does also have to step into that territory, and she rises to the occasion admirably; you'll recognize that scene when you come to it.)

Mary Webb - Wikipedia Mary Webb - Wikipedia

While at Pontesbury in 1914 to 1916, she and Henry did their bit for the war effort by growing vegetables in their garden and selling them at Shrewsbury market." This is Prue Sarn's love story, though she never expected to have one because of her disfigurement, a hare-shotten lip. She falls in love with the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, as do all women who see him, because he is a fine figure of a man. What none of them see at first is that he has a good heart, and is a kind man; he sees beyond the surface to what lies underneath. It is also the story of her brother, Gideon Sarn, who also has a love story, but lets his love of money and ambition and revenge ruin everything for him. Mary Webb Country: An Introduction to Her Life and Work by Linda Davies (1990). Wirral: Palmers Press The first meeting of the newly-formed Mary Webb Society took place at The Church Hall in Meole Brace on June 12, 1972, the same date that Mary and Henry Bertram Law Webb, a nephew of the famous Dawley-born Channel swimmer Captain Matthew Webb – Henry was himself an aspiring writer – were married 60 years previously in the nearby Holy Trinity Church. Mary Webb was born Mary Gladys Meredith on March 25th 1881 at Leighton Lodge, Leighton, a village south of Shrewsbury, near The Wrekin.Now it was still the custom at that time, in our part of the country, to give a fee to some poor man after a death, and then he would take bread and wine handed to him across the coffin, and eat and drink, saying-- Published in 1924, Precious Bane is a novel by Mary Webb (1881 - 1927) which touches on ambition, prejudice and hatred but also on the power of love. Prue Sarn is a farm girl in rural Shropshire during the period of the Napoleonic Wars and is viewed with suspicion by the local community because of having been born with a harelip. Her ambitious and domineering brother betrays her and her superstitious neighbours accuse her of witchcraft. An itinerant weaver Kester Woodseaves, makes his living by weaving for the local people in their homes. Like Prue, he loves the natural world and comes to recognises Prue's inner strength and beauty. ( Noel Badrian) Three of Webb's novels have been reprinted by Virago Press. [12] Bibliography [ edit ] Library resources about I will leave this book with a link to a folk song that recurs constantly during its telling. I found the recording and thought it was too perfect, for it captures the atmosphere of the tale and wrings a tear. I fell in love with dear Prue and will definitely revisit this one someday. This is not a happy read, but I found it profound. Prue is a mystic and one of the most gentle souls I have encountered in literature and I am quite smitten! There are a lot of superstitions and odd beliefs to be found in this book but that is also intriguing to me as some of these traditions came over with my ancestors and I recognized some of our family habits in these practices.

Precious Bane by Mary Webb | Goodreads Precious Bane by Mary Webb | Goodreads

Prue Sarn is an unlikely heroine, born with a facial disfiguration which the Fates have dictated will deny her love. But Prue has strength far beyond her handicap, and this woman, suspected of witchcraft by her fellow townspeople, rises above them all through an all-encompassing sweetness of spirit. Then a thought came to me all of a sudden. I wonder it didna come afore, but then I'd never much minded having a hare-lip afore. It seems to me that often it's only when you begin to see other folks minding a thing like that for you, that you begin to mind it for yourself. The title comes from John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and refers to both Prue’s physical deformity and Gideon’s pursuit of wealth. Published in 1924, this prize-winner requires patience with the 1880’s Shropshire dialect but it’s worth it because ‘Precious Bane’ contains all the components of a great novel - suspense, greed, lust, revenge, madness, beauty, kindness, determination, humor, love - it’s all here. And Mary Webb’s landscape writing is like strolling through a fine art gallery. I admit there is some cringe-worthy melodrama in this tale, but I closed the book with complete satisfaction. 5 unapologetic ;-) stars because I was quite “smitten” with Miss Prudence Sarn and my first Mary Webb. Prudence Sarn was born with a cleft palate, her ‘precious bane’, for which she is persecuted as a witch by her superstitious neighbours. Hiding from daily ridicule, she takes refuge in the wild Shropshire countryside, developing a profound love of nature. Furtively, Prue longs to be loved and harbours a hopeless passion for Kester Woodseaves, the weaver. The large agonised faces in Mary Webb's book annoyed me ... I did not believe people were any more despairing in Herefordshire [sic] than in Camden Town.At the “love-spinning” for Gideon and Jancis—a gathering at which local women spin the wool that will be woven into fabric for the young couple—Prue first sees the weaver, Kester Woodseaves. He’s a powerfully handsome figure, but her attraction, the reader is told, transcends the physical. In those first mystical moments, he becomes her “master” and his image and spirit will infuse her thoughts in the hard days ahead. In time, Prue will save his life, and he will ultimately save hers. Adapted in a 1950 film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Jennifer Jones as Hazel Woodus. It was later re-edited, shortened and retitled for its American release, and fell into relative obscurity. In 1985, the full 110-minute restored version was released by the National Film Archive, to critical acclaim. [18] Prudence Sarn is a country girl who lives with her simple mother and her older brother, Gideon, "Maister of the place". Prue is gentle, goodhearted and has a fine figure along with a sharp mind. But she also has a harelip, meaning her whole existence is blighted, as it's impossible that anyone would marry a girl with a curse like that. In spite of her bleak future, she makes light of her woes and from very early on, she develops a special relationship with everything alive, her senses being aligned in harmony with the wild natural world; animals, trees and even the wind are her most beloved companions. Her final novel Armour Wherein He Trusted remained unfinished but was published as it stood." Mary's grave at Shrewsbury. Set in Shropshire, England, after the Napoleonic Wars. Narrated by Prue Sarn, a young woman with a cleft lip, or hare-shotten lip, as it is called in the book.

Precious Bane | Pentabus Precious Bane | Pentabus

The story is set in rural Shropshire during the Napoleonic Wars. It is narrated by the central character, Prue Sarn, whose life is blighted by having a cleft lip and cleft palate. Only the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, perceives the beauty of her character, but Prue cannot believe herself worthy of him. Her brother Gideon is overridingly ambitious to attain wealth and power, regardless of who suffers while he does so. Gideon is set to wed his sweetheart Jancis, but he incurs the wrath of her father, the cruel and scheming self-proclaimed wizard Beguildy. An act of vengeance by Beguildy makes Gideon reject Jancis and tragedy engulfs them both. Prue is wrongly accused of murder and set upon by a mob, but Kester defies them and carries Prue away to the happiness she believed she could never possess because of her deformity. Gideon, in contrast with good natured Prue, is as ambitious and severe as he is handsome. He works hard (and slaves Prue to do the same for him) to be wealthy and prosperous and his pride prevents him from marrying the girl he loves, fair Jancis, because he wants to be well-off before he gives himself that pleasure, not caring if others suffer because of his material whims. What is the effect of local superstitions and folklore on the villagers’ trust in, and relationships with, one another? I'd unhesitatingly recommend this novel to any reader who appreciates well-written serious fiction, in the real meaning of the term. And I give Webb high marks for having the guts to create a heroine with a birth defect, who isn't lessened or defined by it. (But is Prue really doomed to lifelong spinsterhood because of it? Is there ANY guy at all in 19th-century Shropshire with two good eyes and even half a brain? Well ...I'm not telling; you'll just have to read the book. :-) Anger at demolition plan for writer's Shrewsbury home". Shropshire Star. 16 October 2013 . Retrieved 20 October 2013.

Church Times/Canterbury Press:

A strict churchman might find Prue much at fault (although, in Sarn, even the parson has a book of “curious ancient prayers”). She’s as likely to look in a wizard’s book for a solution as the Bible; she is well-versed in superstitious folk-lore, and lax in her churchgoing. Yet she is also full of scripture, the created world frequently evoking, for her, biblical scenes. The lilies on the mere are “like the raiment of those men who stood with Christ upon the mountain top”, floating as if Jesus, “walking upon the water, had laid them down with His cool hands”. I give this book six stars. I wanted to begin it again the second I finished it. I would never have heard of this book were it not for Goodreads. Thanks Goodreads friends!! This is truly a miracle of a book. Jancis Beguildy - The wizard's daughter and Gideon Sarn's intended wife, plump, blonde with a lush, pleasing mouth always forming a lovely "oh."

Precious Bane : Mary Webb : Free Download, Borrow, and Precious Bane : Mary Webb : Free Download, Borrow, and

However the passing of time seems to have led to a new appreciation of its merits as the online movie database IMDb gives it a respectable score of 6.9 out of 10. Mary Webb That I should master the reading of Revelations. I wanted to know the mind of John, he being lonesome in his bylet in the sea as we were at Sarn, and having many thoughts in his mind, both deep and bright. Now one like Tivvy had no thoughts at all, and you soon tire of looking on an empty porringer. And Mother had two thoughts or three, and Gideon two. So the mind of John had drawn me as none other did afore."

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This is such a beautifully written book that is so underrated and that could be because it is not well known. I had not heard of it before it was chosen as a group read and what a shame if I had never had the opportunity to know Prue and her story. The prose immerses one in the countryside and gives one a feel for the archaic dialect unique to this area. I felt that this gave the novel an authentic touch. Being able to transport a reader to a world unfamiliar is a sure sign of an adept writer. It was so pleasant to hear the songs of the willow wrens and see the fields of sweet barley. Or to watch the dragonflies or “daffodowndillies” fluttering up into the sky. I especially enjoyed learning about the rural customs like the ‘love spinning’ where the ladies gather to spin the wool that will be woven into the fabric for the wedding. Another curious tradition was called ‘sin eating’ when a person takes over the sins of a deceased person. There's a love story here, and tragedy, and family. When she was a young girl the narrator expressed wonderment that her mother kept on telling her father, in moments of anguish--"Could I help it if the hare crossed my path? Could I help it?" I, too, found this puzzling not knowing what it meant until later it dawned on me: it has something to do with superstition, of which there were plenty during the old times, and what the girl-narrator is (though she be unconscious of it). Superstitions which, themselves, bring informative delight. But Prue's peace of mind crumbles down when she meets the new weaver, Kester Woodseaves, whom she starts to worship in secret not believing herself worthy of him. It's up to this Prince Charming to perceive the real beauty of Pruedence Sarn and free her from gossip and hateful stares. what Mary Webb (author) gives us is more than the archetypal happy ending of the fairy tale, where transformations come to princesses and princes trapped in bear and frog skins, where the kiss from one who sees the trapped creature as beautiful sets the real beauty free. For when the princely weaver kisses Prudence Sarn upon the spot of her deformity, it does not go away, she does not shed it suddenly. Rather, the blemish, loved and kissed at last, can make her whole and open up the gates of entry to the joys it threatened to deny. Thus what is finally evoked in us is more than the fairy tale longing that our inner beauty will be seen so clearly it will make us beautiful before the world, it is the longing to be known and loved for all our blemishes, our warts and wens and contradictions, to be "let in" whole."