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'With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb's quiet genius . . . When she died at the age of forty-six, 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
Prudence Sarn was born with her 'precious bane', a cleft palate, for which she is persecuted as a witch by her superstitious neighbours. Their daily ridicule drives Prue to take refuge in the wild Shropshire countryside, and she develops a profound love of nature. Furtively, Prue dreams of being , of being kissed on the lips, and harbours a hopeless passion for Kester Woodseaves, the weaver.
Prue's brother, Gideon, is hungry for wealth and power, whatever the cost. Gideon 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 her accusers.
Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize.
About the author
Mary Webb (1881-1927), poet, mystic and lover of nature, spent most of her life in Shropshire, which features in all of her novels. Admiring contemporaries described Webb as a 'strange genius' and 'one of the best living writers'. After a life of illness and near-poverty, Mary Webb died in Hampstead.,
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Summary
A bold reissue of a stunning novel in the tradition of Thomas Hardy and the Brontës - and a perennial favourite on the Virago Modern Classics list.
Additional text
[Webb] was a great mystic and a master of both "inscape" and landscape. Any dull afternoon in London is lifted by being transported to the Mary Webb country of the Shropshire hills and the Welsh borderland.
