The Poet's Wife - Hardcover

Allnatt, Judith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0753186446 ISBN 13: 9780753186442

Publisher: Isis Large Print, 2010

Synopsis

It is 1841. Patty Clare is married to John Clare: peasant poet, genius and madman. Travelling home one day, Patty is shocked to find her husband sitting at the side of the road, having absconded from a lunatic asylum. Delighted to see him, she is devastated when it becomes clear that John's mental health has deteriorated, and he now thinks himself married twice: to both Patty and his childhood sweetheart. Patty still loves John deeply but he seems lost to her, obsessed with the idealised memory of another woman. She finds herself consumed with jealousy and struggling to cope with her unruly family. Will she ever be able to conquer her own anger and hurt and reconcile with this man she now barely knows?

About this title

About the Author:

Judith Allnatt lives in Northamptonshire. She is the author of one previous novel, A Mile of River.

Review:

"Clare often pops up in fiction, but it was high time someone rescued his poor wife from footnote-land. Allnatt (herself a poet) gives her an affecting, beautifully written afterlife." The Times "a beautifully written, poignant novel, lyrically descriptive of the landscape, detailed in the country life of the time and reminiscent of the gentle style of the genius peasant poet." Choice Magazine "This novel will have you reaching for the nearest copy of John Clare's powerful poems" Daily Mail "This book is superb" -- Charles Palliser

About this edition

• Publisher: Isis Large Print
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0753186446
• ISBN 13: 9780753186442
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448