Precious Bane
Precious Bane
Book Brief
Beta328
Novel • Fiction
Shropshire, England • Early 1800s
1990
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Precious Bane by Mary Webb is a novel set in early 19th-century rural England, following a woman named Prue Sarn, who has a facial disfigurement. The story explores her resilience, inner beauty, and quest for love and acceptance in a community bound by superstition and prejudice. Themes of nature, transformation, and personal growth permeate the narrative.
Melancholic
Mysterious
Contemplative
Bittersweet
Reviews & Readership
4,531 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
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Review Roundup
Precious Bane is celebrated for its lyrical prose and vivid portrayal of rural life in early 19th-century England. Readers admire the complex characters and the themes of love and redemption. Some, however, find the dialect challenging and the pacing slow. The novel's blend of nature, spirituality, and human emotion resonates deeply, enchanting many.
Who Should Read Precious Bane?
A reader who enjoys Precious Bane by Mary Webb would likely appreciate richly detailed rural settings, lyrical prose, and themes of love and perseverance. Fans of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles or Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights may find this novel similarly captivating.
4,531 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Precious Bane is notable for winning the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse prize in 1924, a prestigious French literary award.
The novel's title, Precious Bane, is derived from John Milton's epic poem, "Paradise Lost," reflecting the theme of beauty and the burdens it brings.
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Mary Webb's evocative depiction of rural Shropshire in Precious Bane was highly influential, contributing to the resurgence of interest in regional literature during the early 20th century.
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328
Novel • Fiction
Shropshire, England • Early 1800s
1990
Adult
18+ years
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