6 Books That Make Time Stand Still
Longing to be swept off to
another world? These novels take you back in time—to lands, castles
and country houses—all with sweeping stories.
3 of 6
Mrs. Poe
By Lynn Cullen
336 pages;
Gallery Books
Part romance, part mystery, part biography, this
fictional reenactment of the mistress of Edgar Allan Poe escorts you into the
glittering world of New York in the 1840s, when poets were celebrities and the
admission of emotions—like silk gowns and glossy beaver
hats—were a luxury. When we meet Frances Osgood, her husband has
abandoned her. Day to day she tries to peddle her poetry to various editors,
while struggling to keep up social pretenses and raise her two daughters. A
chance meeting with Poe at a literary salon draws her into a not-so-healthy relationship
with both him and his much younger, very ill wife—the latter of whom
recognizes Frances as a credible threat to her marriage and tries to combat it
with friendship. Enter a pompous, untalented editor name Griswold who sets his
sights on Frances, and what you've got is a tale that boils down to the most
universal yet riveting themes: affection and obligations versus the most
profound kind of love, a meeting of the minds. Will things work out? Not to
spoil the plot, but consider "The Raven." The dark, ominous bird knocks at the door and the poet
mutters, "On the morrow will he leave me,
as my hopes have flown before." A
bewitching, vivid trip into the heyday of American literary society.
— Leigh Newman
Published 09/06/2013