Mary Webb

'Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer' Eloise Millar, GuardianPrudence Sarn was born with a cleft palate, her 'precious bane', for which she is persecuted as a witch by her superstitious neighbours. Hiding from daily ridicule, she takes refuge in the wild Shropshire countryside, developing a profound love of nature. Furtively, Prue longs to be loved and harbours a hopeless passion for Kester Woodseaves, the weaver.Prue's brother, Gideon, is engaged to her only friend, but in his ambition for wealth at any cost, he 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 the wrath of her accusers. Winner of the 1926 Prix Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, Precious Bane is a novel that enchants with its beauty and its timeless truths.'With the publication of Precious Bane, a substantial readership came to respect Mary Webb's quiet genius . . . When she died at the age of 46, 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

Winner of the Prix Femina literary award for its ground-breaking themes, Precious Bane by romanticist Mary Webb is a story of finding beauty in being different. Set in the Western English countryside during the French Revolution, Prue Sarn is a teenage girl whose bane is a cleft lip, a defect she was born with. Unable to rid herself of the blight, she bears her deformity with dignity at most times, but succumbs to deep-rooted shame at others. Kester Woodseaves, a weaver who travels through the county to make a living, is one of the few people who can see clearly past Prue's mark and understand the beauty of her character, but Prue does not see herself as worthy of his feelings. Prue's brother, Gideon, is unlike Prue in every way. He is self-righteous, ambitious, and cares little for the suffering of anyone but himself. In order to increase his wealth, Gideon plans to marry a beautiful woman named Jancis, but Gideon incites the wrath of her father, the wizard Beguildy. In a cruelity that matches Gideon's, Beguildy brings tragedy and misery into their lives, and suddenly, everything has gone wrong. Prue and Kester inevitably become wrapped up in Gideon's mess and soon, Prue's comfortable life begins to fade away as she is suspected of witchcraft. Precious Bane, published in 1924, is a beguiling story that reveals how beautiful one's character can be, but how ugly one's true nature can be too. Prue is highly spiritual, has her own sense of humor, and does not bear to pity herself despite how she is treated for being different. Highly praised Precious Bane is not only a masterpiece of Webb's writing, but a lesson that everyone can learn from.

Narrated by the central character Prue Sarn, whose life is blighted by having a harelip. Only the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, perceives her inner beauty but Prue cannot believe herself worthy of him. Prue is wrongly accused of murder and only one man can save her and take her away to the happiness she believes she can never possess because of her harelip. A forgotten classic set in rural Shropshire at the turn of the 19th century blends a simple, rustic love story with a profound sense of nature's mystic truth. Prue Sarn is an original and appealing heroine of English literature as she triumphs over a physical handicap to win her heart's desire. Skillfully woven through this story is the aura of the English countryside, its flora and fauna anticipating every turn of the plot. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience