Precious Bane
''Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer'' Eloise Millar, Guardian

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.

Prue''s brother, Gideon, is engaged to her only friend, but in his ambition for wealth at any cost, he incurs the wrath of his would—be father—in—law whose act of vengeance results in Prue being accused of murder. Only Kester, who has perceived her true worth, can defend her from the wrath of her accusers.

Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, Precious Bane is a novel that enchants with its beauty and its timeless truths.

''With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb''s quiet genius . . . When she died at the age of 46, literature lost a voice that promised to speak for Shropshire as poignantly as Thomas Hardy had spoken for Wessex, Emily Bronte for Yorkshire — New York Times

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Precious Bane
''Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer'' Eloise Millar, Guardian

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.

Prue''s brother, Gideon, is engaged to her only friend, but in his ambition for wealth at any cost, he incurs the wrath of his would—be father—in—law whose act of vengeance results in Prue being accused of murder. Only Kester, who has perceived her true worth, can defend her from the wrath of her accusers.

Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, Precious Bane is a novel that enchants with its beauty and its timeless truths.

''With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb''s quiet genius . . . When she died at the age of 46, literature lost a voice that promised to speak for Shropshire as poignantly as Thomas Hardy had spoken for Wessex, Emily Bronte for Yorkshire — New York Times

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Precious Bane

Precious Bane

by Mary Webb
Precious Bane

Precious Bane

by Mary Webb

Paperback

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Overview

''Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer'' Eloise Millar, Guardian

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.

Prue''s brother, Gideon, is engaged to her only friend, but in his ambition for wealth at any cost, he incurs the wrath of his would—be father—in—law whose act of vengeance results in Prue being accused of murder. Only Kester, who has perceived her true worth, can defend her from the wrath of her accusers.

Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, Precious Bane is a novel that enchants with its beauty and its timeless truths.

''With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb''s quiet genius . . . When she died at the age of 46, literature lost a voice that promised to speak for Shropshire as poignantly as Thomas Hardy had spoken for Wessex, Emily Bronte for Yorkshire — New York Times


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780349015644
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Publication date: 02/22/2022
Series: Virago Modern Classics Series
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 5.00(w) x 0.75(h) x 7.75(d)

About the Author

Mary Gladys Webb (1881—1927) was an English romance novelist and poet of the early 20th century, whose work is set chiefly in the Shropshire countryside and among Shropshire characters and people whom she knew. Her novels have been successfully dramatized, most notably the film Gone to Earth in 1950 by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger based on the novel of the same title. The novels are thought to have inspired the famous parody Cold Comfort Farm (1932) by Stella Gibbons.

Table of Contents

Book One

Sarn Mere 6

Telling the Bees 9

Prue Takes the Bidding Letters 19

Torches and Rosemary 22

The First Swath Falls 28

“Saddle Your Dreams Before You Ride ’Em” 36

Pippins and Jargonelles 43

Book Two

Riding to Market 49

The Mug of Cider 59

“Or Die in ’Tempting It” 67

The Wizard of Plash 73

The Love-Spinning 78

The Game of Costly Colours 83

“The Maister Be Come” 92

Raising Venus 97

The Game of Conquer 101

Book Three

The Hiring Fair 113

The Baiting 122

“The Best Tall Script, Flourished” 131

Jancis Runs Away 143

Dragon-flies 163

Book Four

Harvest Home 172

Beguildy Seeks a Seventh Child 188

The Deathly Bane 204

All on a May Morning 215

The Last Game of Conquer 230

The Breaking of the Mere 239

“Open the Gates as Wide as the Sky” 250

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