Mrs. Poe
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A richly imagined work inspired by literature’s most haunting love triangle, this gothic romance brings Edgar Allan Poe, his devoted wife, and his brilliant mistress to life in a dark tale of obsession, betrayal, and literary ambition to which Sara Gruen says, “Mrs. Poe had my heart racing...Don't miss it!”
New York City, 1845. Gaslit streets and crowded avenues pulse with opportunity and danger as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” takes the literary world by storm. For Frances Osgood, a gifted but struggling poet and mother of two abandoned by her husband, Poe’s success feels impossibly out of reach. When she is invited to meet the infamous writer at an intimate literary gathering, she hopes only for professional encouragement—never expecting to be drawn into his dangerous orbit.
Though initially unimpressed by Poe’s work, Frances is captivated by his intellect, charm, and the startling revelation that he admires her poetry. What begins as flirtation soon deepens into a passionate, illicit affair. But the situation grows increasingly unsettling when Poe’s fragile wife, Virginia, insists on befriending Frances, weaving the three into a web of intimacy, secrecy, and fear.
As Frances becomes trapped between desire and dread, she begins to sense that Virginia’s devotion may mask something far more frightening. Haunting, suspenseful, and emotionally charged, this novel reimagines one of literature’s most infamous love triangles, exploring the cost of genius, the peril of obsession, and the fine line between romance and ruin.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cullen, whose previous novels have focused on obscure women from the past, such as Juana of Castile (Reign of Madness) and Sofonisba Anguissola (The Creation of Eve), now turns her attention to Frances Sargent Osgood, a mid-19th-century poet and children's author who, some believe, was romantically involved with Edgar Allen Poe. As the novel opens in 1845, Poe is the toast of literary New York, having just published the sensationally successful poem "The Raven." Meanwhile, Mrs. Osgood, recently spurned by her philandering artist husband, is under enormous pressure to publish her work and thereby provide for her two young daughters. At a series of literary salons (many featuring cameos by other famous names of Poe's day), Mrs. Osgood and Poe develop a mutual attraction, as noticed not only by their peers but also by Poe's young and fragile wife, Virginia. Virginia's initially friendly overtures to her romantic rival become increasingly threatening, a nod to the macabre that seems unnecessary and gratuitous, as does the often-awkward insertion of research into the narrative. More successful is Cullen's portrayal of Osgood as a literary woman attempting to make a name (and a living) for herself against the odds.
