Lenore Hart

In general, I'm all in favor of the recent trend of writing biographical novels of famous men from the point of view of the women in their life.
This one, about Edgar Allan Poe, narrated by his young bride, is interesting for its subject matter, but is not the most successful entry into the genre that I've read. This is, in part, because the narrator, Virginia, is simply not that interesting as a character. She starts out as an innocent young girl, and then proceeds to spend the bulk of the novel dying of consumption (TB).
The author goes out of her way to link Poe's morbid writings to the fact that so many people around him suffered and dies from TB. She doesn't seem to understand (nor does her narrator) the appeal of the gothic in writing, or horror in general. While the book was worth reading for illuminating details of Poe's life, this lack made it somewhat of a disappointment.… (más)

WATERWOMAN, by Lenore Hart.

Picked this hardback up at a library book sale last year and finally read it. It's a quick read at just over 200 pages, and Hart is a decent writer. I found the first half of the book better than the second. In Annie Revels, Hart gives us a tough, no-nonsense young island woman who takes up the work of her oysterman/fisherman father after he dies at sea off Virginia's Eastern Shore in 1920. She takes it upon herself to provide for her demented mother and beautiful younger sister, Rebecca. Then Annie meets Nathan, a handsome WWI veteran, who initiates her in the delights of sex. And the story then turns into a sad love triangle, and Annie no longer seems quite so unique, and Nathan and Becca don't come off looking so hot either. Tragic ending, ho-hum. But to be fair, Lenore Hart is a very good writer who can tell a decent story. Still ... Ah, well. Yeah, I kinda lost interest toward the end, but it was okay, and women will no doubt love this book.… (más)

Certainly not a bad book, but like the narrator describes on her death bed, it's a bit like someone's flipping the pages of a novel though her entire adult life. Every chapter is extremely repetitive. Poe sells a work, is happy. Poe has job, is miserable. Poe quits job, sells no more works, everyone starves. Lather, rinse, repeat. Sometimes they move to a new city to start the cycle over.

The biggest problem with that cycle is it's in no way about Sissy. The book isn't about her, or her hopes and dreams. It's a checklist of events in Eddy's life, marked off as seen though his wife's eyes. In the end, she's just not a very realized character.

*edit* Lowered the score to reflect the plagiarism controversy. I don't know if the author intentionally plagiarizer or not, but I do know that too many passages are similar to be coincidence.… (más)

This is a NOVEL about Virginia Poe, wife of Edgar Allan Poe. This book generated a little buzz when it was first published. I have had it on my TBR list for a little while. During October when I went in search of some "spooky" Halloween reads, I of course thought of Poe, and remembered this book.
The first several chapters were a little boring. It wasn't until Virginia's mother finally consented to the official wedding ceremony that things got interesting. I felt so sorry for Virgina. She was more mature than her mother or husband, and was long suffering of them both. She had such a sad, unfulfilled life. She was a strong person in many ways, living in fear of her husband giving in to drink. She supported him when he changed jobs so often, and backed him up when her mother complained. But, she was just too compliant. She never really stood up for herself, and so I thought she was little dull. The author offers her own theories about the Poe's marriage, Edgar's scandals with other women, and his relationships with his various employers and other authors and poets. I don't know if I buy into this version of events, but we really don't know much about Virginia, so it's as good a guess as any.
The book was very absorbing at times, other times I struggled to keep my eyes open and my mind focused on the page. There was a slight paranormal aspect at the beginning and end. I don't think the book lived up to the hype for me, but overall I would give it a solid C+ .… (más)