The Raven's Bride

by Lenore Hart

When eight-year-old Virginia "Sissy" Clemm meets her handsome cousin, Eddy, she sees the perfect husband she's conjured up in childhood games. Thirteen years her elder, he's soft-spoken, brooding, and handsome. Eddy fails his way through West Point and the army yet each time he returns to Baltimore, their friendship grows. As Sissy trains for a musical career, her childhood crush turns to love. When she's thirteen, Eddy proposes. But as their happy life darkens, Sissy endures Poe's abrupt disappearances, self-destructive moods, and alcoholic binges. When she falls ill, his greatest fear– that he'll lose the woman he loves– drives him both madness, and to his greatest literary achievement. Part ghost story, part love story, this provocative novel explores the mysterious, shocking relationship between Edgar Allan Poe and young Sissy Clemm, his cousin, muse and great love. Lenore Hart, author of Becky, imagines the beating heart of the woman who inspired American literature's most demonized literary figure– and who ultimately destroyed him.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy, 19th Century

358 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2011

About the author

Lenore Hart is the author of the novels Waterwoman, Ordinary Springs, The Treasure of Savage Island, Becky: The Life and Loves of Becky Thatcher, and The Raven's Bride. A B&N Discover book author and Shirley Jackson Award finalist, she's also series editor of The Night Bazaar Speculative fiction anthologies. Hart is fiction faculty at the Ossabaw Island Writers Retreat in Savannah. She lives in a somewhat haunted house on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with novelist David Poyer and some very entitled cats and peahens.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young reader, I just thought I should put in my two cents' worth on this novel. I'm 19 and a college freshman, and everywhere around me in popular culture and young adult literature are ridiculous excuses for literature like Twilight and its thousands of equally uninspired spinoffs. People think teenagers want to read vapid, plotless rags about pale angst-ridden psychopaths biting each other. Well, sorry -- that's not my style, or in fact the style of any of my friends. So I am overjoyed whenever I come across a book like this one which can attract and hold the attention of readers of any age and which contains not only realistic and dynamic characters, but also an engaging plot and setting and plenty of humanity. If stories of forbidden love and supernatural romance are what young adults want to read about, there are better alternatives than Twilight, et cetera! Hint hint.

After 19 years (more or less) of avid reading, I'm pretty selective and not fazed by much, but I found that every time I picked up this book, I ended up either laughing, crying, or practically yelling advice at the characters. I'd pick up the book in a public place and be discreetly wiping my eyes on my sleeves five minutes later. I sympathized wholeheartedly with Virginia and the terrible choice she had to make between maintaining love and experiencing certain things -- it's one I've already had to make a few times in my life, albeit not on as large a scale. I could also empathize with Eddie's crushing fear of losing his loved ones and his struggles as a creative person in a commercial world. And yet despite all the hardships endured by the characters, there are many moments of tranquility and happiness that make the reader feel that all their struggles were worthwhile. My friend walked into the room at one point and asked what I was grinning about, to hear me exclaim "Eddie got her a kitten! THAT'S ADORABLE."

Historical fiction is not exactly my usual fare, but I enjoyed every minute of this book, mainly because the author handled its historical aspect so well. Attention was given to historical detail, but not so much that it became dry or boring at any point. The couple moved from city to city and house to house a lot, but all of the places managed to feel like home. The supernatural aspect was also a great touch, helping to give the story a timeless and uplifting feeling. And I greatly admired the way Hart brought Virginia so completely and vividly to life, giving her emotions, hopes, and fears that any young girl, and in fact any human being, can relate to no matter their time period. Even better, Virginia isn't some vacant, staring doll like Twilight's Bella, into which any reader can insert her own personality in order to live out the cheap, trashy fantasy. I would actually consider her a wonderful role model, unlike lots of contemporary young adult heroines. It restores a little bit of my faith in humanity.

I guess I've been going on for a while, but there you have it -- beautiful story, intriguing supernatural twist, dynamic characters, wonderful writing. Leave the trashy vampire fiction on the shelf. Read The Raven's Bride!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revised Review:

I love being on Goodreads and find it an absolutely fascinating place to be. One of the drawbacks to Goodreads, particularly in the area of historical fiction, is that one comes across, ummm, "blowhards" who come in and make accusations re: an author's work and, then, are condescending to any who offer up a different perspective or those who are not as "enlightened" or into the topic as them. What these "blowhards" end up doing is making the group a "not so fun" place to be, instead of being a relaxing fun place to be, to kick back a few hours and discuss a love of books, we are subject to their rants, accusations and ridicules!

What I find so amazing with this book, in particular, is that the "blowhards" have all rated this book 4 or 5 stars and wrote AMAZING reviews, where the author will probably see them. Then, like cowards as most "blowhards" are, go into groups and/or other peoples reviews and make their accusations, where the author may not see it and have the opportunity to respond, if they choose.

One can only assume that these, "blowhards", don't understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction. Or, one can assume that they are so concrete and myopic in their thinking that they are closed minded to anyone perceptions other than their own. I heard a fantastic saying the other day...There is no reality in history...only perception. To bad, these, ummm, "blowhards" can't get it.

One other thing that I often wonder about when it comes to "blowhards" is how many are published authors or have the capability to write a book that others will find entertaining or is sellable in the major market in which authors, such as Lenore Hart, needs to sell to? Also, I often wonder about those who criticize pieces of FICTION...were you there?? How do you know the author's viewpoint of her research wasn't the correct "version" of history...because those in your "elitist" miniscule circle says it is so?? Oh, please...get over yourselves!


My initial review of this book is that it is a very, very well written book. A very sad book on multiple fronts, yet I have enjoyed it because of the focus on characters. It also gave me a view to Poe, who isn't one of my favorite authors that I had never seen before. A must read. BTW...My initial review sticks. The Raven's Bride is a wonderful piece of HISTORICAL...emphasis on...FICTION!

[Undine · Rating 1 out of 5]

To say that this is among the finest novels about Poe is, admittedly, an equivocal tribute, as most of the previous fictional characterizations of the legendary writer have been unreadable garbage. There are, however, some things to praise about this book.

I appreciate what Hart tried to do with the character of her narrator, Virginia Poe, although Hart was obviously very greatly indebted to Cothburn O'Neal's 1956 novel "The Very Young Mrs. Poe"--I wish someone else would read both novels together so you could see what I mean. Poe's wife--in both fiction and non-fiction works--is usually depicted as a silent background figure. The stereotypical image of her is as the vapid "child-wife," forever immature, weak, and colorless--a view that, from my own research, I am convinced is completely false. The young woman depicted in this novel comes reasonably close to my own view of Virginia--intelligent, mature, ardent, assertive, and the most influential and understanding figure in her husband's life. (Although, on the whole, O'Neal's Virginia was more convincing.) Poe himself is drawn as overly troubled, but at least as warm and human--a far cry from the sordid caricature usually found in books about him. And Hart's interpretation of the relationship between the two is, with a few glaring exceptions, good.

However, it's disconcerting to have Thomas Dunn English presented as a good guy. Or the married Elizabeth Ellet being called "Miss." And why do the novelists always insist on depicting Frances Osgood as "pretty" and sympathetic, when in truth she was neither one? When she is forced to speculate, the results are often, though not always, plausible. Here, however, the problem is one that has bedeviled all previous Poe novelists--they work with historical source material that is often of dubious credibility, if not outright fraudulent. Attempting to put some of this into the framework of a novel inevitably results in fiction that is simply unconvincing, if not ludicrous. This comes through particularly when dealing with the bizarre Poe/Ellet/Osgood episode. Hart's version of that imbroglio is confused. For instance, it is never made clear what Edgar Poe thought of Mrs. Osgood--at some times, he is depicted as disliking her, at others, we are giving quite jarring hints that he feels affection for her, which completely contradicts his utter devotion to Virginia. At other times, it's hinted that Poe is merely "using" Frances and other literary women in order to get "favors" or "patronage." I really have no idea what Hart intended for us to think of the relations between Mrs. O. and the Poes. Overall, that whole section fails to ring true, and is by far the weakest part of the book. The narrative is, at times, choppy, with some scenes and characters not as fully fleshed-out as I'd like. I get the feeling this was originally a much longer manuscript that got ruthlessly pared down to a more commercially-acceptable length. And they wound up cutting a bit too much.

"The Raven's Bride" is, nevertheless, often well written. The dreamlike, supernatural character of the narrative suits her historical material well, and enables the author to supply a hopeful ending to what would otherwise be an unbearably grim tale.

I hope this novel--like James Spada's earlier "Days When My Heart Was Volcanic"--at least inspires anyone who writes about Poe in the future to look at his wife and their marriage with fresh eyes. As someone who has read a good deal about Poe--and hated about 95 percent of it--I find this mini-trend very encouraging.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

NO SPOILERS!!!

One need not be a Poe aficionado to enjoy this novel. Take note, it is a novel. Edgar Allen Poe married his cousin Virginia, nicknamed Sissy, when she was thirteen. He was thirteen years her elder. They met when she was eight. The setting is Baltimore, Richmond and New York, the time period the first half of the 19th century. It was interesting to compare this book with the one I just finished about Hokusai and his daughter (The Printmaker's Daughter), since that too took place in the early 19th century, although in Edo, Japan. Two artists struggling to voice their own perception of the world around them. Two artists influenced by those they loved. Both struggled with illness and poverty. Yet each story is very, very different.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was how Poe's world of impending doom, horror, eternal love, beauty and death are also present in Sissy's tale of her life with Eddy. She shares a life with him, but we see her separate identity and view on his actions and decisions. It is this, her personal views; hat makes this a novel, but a very intriguing one. Her death of consumption will draw you in just the horror present in Poe's imaginative writing does. There are elements of the supernatural that also fit Poe's writing style. Nevertheless she represents her side of their relationship and they are not always in accord. She is not merely a weak, child, but someone with her own desires and wishes and obligations toward her husband. The familial relationship is also complicated and similarly interesting. The prose style drew these bonds movingly.

The conclusion, with its imaginary ending, was a bit too cute for me. Otherwise, I have no specific complaints with the book. It transported me to another era. The story related was engagingly told. I learned about Poe's life. Please, a three star book means I enjoyed the reading experience. Maybe for others a three star rating means the book is not worth reading. This is not true for me.

P.S. Lenore Hart, the author of this novel, was named after the dead beauty portrayed in Poe's famous poem, "The Raven". Sissy, too, saw herself portrayed by Lenore and struggled with such a fate!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book created a little buzz when it was first published. A fictionalized account of the private life of Virginia Poe, wife of Edgar Allan Poe.
For me, the first few chapters were a little dull. The story got more interesting when Virginia and Edgar married. There has been much speculation about the true relationship between Virgina and Edgar. This story offers up one theory. While it's interesting to imagine what this young girl's tragic life must have really been like, the story often dragged. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book. It certainly piqued my curiosity about Virginia. She wasn't a very emotional girl, she was more mature than her husband most of the time. But, she was also a little boring. Still, the story was engrossing.
I'm not sure about how closely the author stuck to facts, but I know she offered answers to some questions about certain scandals, but I'm not sure if I bought into the author's theories. Virgina appeared to have worshipped Eddy no matter what happened. She was certainly long suffering . The portrayal of Eddy wasn't too flattering, IMO. Ultimately, I found the book a little depressing. Overall a C

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox Mulder, Mozart from Amadeus, and Edgar Allan Poe were totally my imaginary boyfriends when I was fourteen so reading The Raven's Bride, a fictionalized biography of Virginia Clemm Poe, Edgar's cousin and "child bride", immersed me in nostalgia. Lenore Hart convincingly portrays Virginia not as a meek and passive wisp who faded into her death at the age of twenty-four, but as a determined, responsible, intelligent young woman with a maturity older than her years. There's no intrigue or plot twists, so the story did plod along sometimes. The weakest point was the parts on Edgar Allan Poe's lady friends, towards the end of the book - it was weird and I'm not exactly sure what was going on there. But generally, Hart's writing was pleasant and Virginia was so likable that I sped along nonetheless. Edgar Allan Poe, a very troubled man often consumed by his vice for alcohol, was depicted with sympathy but not sentimentality through Virginia's eyes. As you would expect with a book with Edgar Allan Poe as a character, there is some supernatural bits in there, but it's certainly not a main focus.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

For historical fiction with real historical people for characters, I thought Hart represented the history admirably well. Particularly considering this is a book about Edgar Allan Poe, who's biography is often rife with slanderous myths and legends. I found many of the historical characters to be represented with reverence and sympathy. I particularly enjoyed Hart's interpretation of Virginia Clemm Poe. It was refreshing to see her depicted as a strong and active female figure, with a mind, personality, and will of her own. So often she is merely a ghostly shadow. I did note a few fictional conflations of fact, but these were few and not troubling. History aside, I enjoyed the novel as a stand alone work of fiction as well. It was both well written and engaging. I'm looking forward to reading other books by this author!

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the works of Edgar Allen Poe, and knowing that he had married his young cousin I thought the book would be interesting. I didn't expect great literature, but it was entertaining. The author told their story in an interesting way- though I wished that Sissy had a life away from Eddy.
As I read I found myself rooting for Edgar Allen Poe in each career adventure he attempted, even though I knew they would fail. When Sissy's health began to fail, and Edgar's anguish became obvious, I felt pain. I feel that the author could have done more with the story, but it was entertaining. I'd reccomend it to friends who liked Poe, or who like dark love stories.

[Lady Jane Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was familiar with Edgar Allan Poe's work, but in eighth grade English class, I was introduced to his personal life as well. We learned he married his COUSIN when she was THIRTEEN and were all quite scandalized. We went on to learn that he died soon after she died, and there was enough there to make me imagine they were devoted to each other. I remember sitting at my desk and thinking, "She's got a story." Over a decade later, I read it.

There was a brief cameo in Anya Seton's "Dragonwyck" that always stood out to me (that was as much of the "story" that I could find until now), but while reading this book I understood the brilliance of that cameo. "Dragonwyck" was a gothic novel and Poe was a famous writer of gothic tales. I guess I had always thought of him in the horror category. Maybe it was always too dark for me. It probably occurred to me before, but this book enforced the idea that he should be included as an author in the category.

Anyway, as for the book, I enjoyed reading it and finally getting to read Virginia's story. I have have been jaded by findings while pursuing my love of history and marrying a first cousin did not seem strange. Her young age did seem a bit stranger, but I know it wasn't unheard of at the time. In the back of the book, it says some people wonder if it was ever consummated and I wonder how much of it was for propriety's sake so he could live with his aunt and cousin while supporting them. It did seem that he cared a lot for Virginia, though, and she was his world (from what I've read outside this book).

I'm glad this book was written in first person because it seemed more real. However, in order to get the whole story in, Virginia had to be a ghost for part of it (no spoilers, she starts off as a ghost in the first chapter). It seemed fitting since this was Edgar Allan Poe's wife after all. At the end, this part did seem to drag on, though. If it had been too short, I would be complaining it seemed like it was added in as an afterthought.

Before reading this book, I thought I would be reading a bunch of books set in Asia or in the Asian culture, but it was my turn on Paperback Swap for this book and when it came in the mail, I *had* to read it right away. Now I want to read some gothic novels! They are my guilty pleasure and I have probably hundreds of the mass produced ones from the 60s and 70s. There are, however, some authors and books from the genre that seem more legitimate. When trying to decide which gothic novel to read next, I remembered one I have been meaning to read for ages. I'm quite embarrassed to admit that I haven't read this one yet. Any guesses?

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Tayler K · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion, anyone without a prior fascination with Edgar Allan Poe will be very bored with this novel (unless, perhaps, you approach it as any ol' historical fiction and don't expect much from the Poe aspect). I do have a prior fascination with Edgar Allan Poe, and bought this book at The Poe Museum in Richmond, and frankly I was just not invested most of the time. Nothing really happens, and I felt that Poe himself was an underdeveloped character.

The main character and narrator is Virginia Clemm, Poe's cousin and wife, 13 years his junior.

The novel is bookended by (does one mark spoilers for true events of over 200 years ago?) the deaths of our two characters. In the first few pages, it becomes apparent that Virginia is a ghost, and is approaching Eddy on his deathbed to guide him into the afterlife. He is delirious and so she tells him the story of their life to bring him back to himself and prove that it's her.

Their first meeting is interesting, and waiting to see just how they end up together. To me, the rest of the novel was a continuous rehashing of a few main points:
- They are all poor
- Eddy never settles anywhere because he can never afford to start his own literary magazine, and gets into various spots of 'creative differences' and financial quagmires (his own and others) and probably plain old boredom everywhere he works because no one will put him in charge.
- Virginia longs to be a performing musician, but work is not proper for a woman and they cannot afford proper lessons, music, or instruments except in spurts and gasps.
- Virginia's presence is the only thing that can temper Eddy's alcoholism, except not always.
- Eddy is fanatically devoted to her and obsessed with her health, desperate to stay fate which would have her join the string of women in his life dying.
Repeat ad nauseum.

Virginia finally does die from the consumption which has plagued her for some time. At various points in her illness, she has seen the ghosts of her older sister, also named Virginia, who died as a child, her brother Henry, and her grandmother. Now, Henry has come to escort her to the afterlife, but at the thought of never seeing Eddy or her mother again, she turns her head to look back, and becomes trapped in a room with no windows or doors, where all Eddy's published work is stored on the shelf, and appears as he continues to write. Finally she decides that if Henry could come back for her, surely she could come back for Eddy, and presumably at this point she is freed from the room, though we jump straight from her decision back to Eddy's hospital cot.
He's still raving though, so she decides singing is the only way to assure him it's her. Then he dies and they go off together to see whether Eddy's "Al Araaf" is really the afterlife, or something else.


So. The ghosty bits were interesting. Dropping in mentions of this poem being published or that story being written was cute. Honestly my favorite part/character was Catterina the cat--which I had to google to confirm was real, because there are no historical notes included in the book whatsoever, such disappoint.

[Brooklyn Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very near and dear to my heart. I have many, many thoughts and feelings about Virginia Poe and as someone who really enjoys historical fiction have tried to find books about her to no avail. There are a good sized amount of works that collectively describe her husband, works about other women Poe knew and describes their relationship with him, I’ve even seen a few books about him that introduces new female characters to portray as a love interest. It’s been very frustrating because in these cases Virginia is either a non entity who if she even gets written into the book is a coughing background shadow, or she’s depicted in highly unflattering lights, such as being a silly child, or too boring for Edgar, or in the case of one really bad book a insane antagonistic bomber. This was the first book I’ve found that has a focus on her, is in her perspective, and portrays her as a fully 3D human being.
The book has its flaws, it can kind of drag on in some parts and the plot meanders a bit, but I still reread it because I enjoy Virginia’s character so much. She is a character who is very sweet ,soft and kind, has interest of her own that reoccur throughout the plot, and is very present in her surroundings and over all pretty self aware and aware of exactly who she is married too. I love that the main character who really surprises her in the book is her mother and I think their relationship is one of my favorite things to read.
While their are some things that could have been expect better, the flaws of the book doesn’t bring down the strengths in my eyes. I have bought but not finished The Very Young Mrs. Poe and while I see a lot of similarities in the plot I think the execution of the characters and the tone are different. I can forgive the plot parallels because the two books essentially are writing about the same topic: The life of Virginia Poe, frame for frame, until her death. Given how little documentation there is about her I can forgive the two books taking much of the same source material and creating scenes from the same points in history. The book is much easier to procure then The Very Young Mrs. Poe however so if you intend on reading both I would start with this one because it might take a few months to get your hands on a copy of the other.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this book. To start, I have a soft place in my heart for Edgar Allen Poe. Gifted and troubled, Poe was a genius in his own right, I knew nothing about his wife except that she died young and her death ravaged him. This book was intriguing from beginning to end,well written and romantic in a way only Poe could have been.

[Ellnine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this one and unfortunately was left a bit disappointed. Everything was lovely up untill the end which was not one of the various senerios I had hoped for. I did love the writing and the view from Virginia's eyes, though as I said the end was lacking, imo.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. I know it was based on history but nothing really happened.

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish Virginia could have worked for awhile as a singer. It would have mad her short life happier.

[Dragonlady-sci-fi-fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Brilliantly told from Virginia Clemm Poe's POV. Mesmerizing in true Poe style.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not awful, but terribly boring and drawn out.

[Rena · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine, but didn't really feel the connection to the story.

[Jill Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute

Sooo satisfying to view Poe’s life with Virginia from her standpoint. I feel I understand him - and his love for her - so much better.

[Sandra Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

.p

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I have to admit - I saw the author's name, and that the book was about Edgar Allen Poe's wife, and thought that irony was a funny, funny thing.

The Raven’s Bride is a fictionalized look at the life of Virginia Clemm Poe, wife of Edgar Allen Poe, from her childhood to her death. The story is told by Virginia, known as “Sissy”, as she waits for her husband to die and join her in death.

While following the history of the story, Ms. Hart has given Sissy a voice as a clairvoyant – she has the ability to see the dead. It is she who realizes her brother, Henry, has passed away at sea, when her mother believes he’s still alive. She also sees Grandmother Poe, and other people, wandering through their various homes. Sissy grows up without a father, though her mother, Muddy, is always there to take care of her. The Poe-Clemm family live in what would politely be called poverty, with Grandmother Poe’s widow benefits bringing in $20.00 a month, and Muddy supplementing the income with sewing projects to feed the three women, Henry Clemm, and Henry Poe. Henry Poe is dying of tuberculosis, and has been for a while, when his younger brother, Edgar, pays a visit.

At the age of eight, Sissy realizes that Edgar – Eddy - is the man she’s always imagined as her husband in the games she’s played with her friends: tall and dark, somewhat mysterious. She, in turn, fascinates him with her dark hair and eyes, though they build a relationship of friendship up until Sissy turns thirteen, and Eddy asks for her hand in marriage. Sissy, Eddy and Muddy then embark on various fortunes, moving from town to town as Eddy becomes dissatisfied with being an editor for this or that magazine, wanting to spread his wings and trusting that something will come along that will keep them all afloat.

At times tinged with madness, as Eddy succumbs to drink and his own demons, and Sissy deals with her own particular fear – that the Black Toad – tuberculosis – will take her away from her beloved family, the story wends its way from childhood to its inevitable conclusion, with Sissy’s death.

The bright spots in this story are many, despite the characters living mostly in poverty throughout the book. The love of this very small family is very evident, and their stresses things that anyone could relate to – lack of money, illness, alcoholism.

The Raven’s Bride is a very enjoyable look at Poe’s muse, with a definite immersion in the time period of the story. Sissy’s love of her Eddy shows through with nearly every page, and it’s easy to see why Poe may’ve succumbed to madness after her death, if his devotion to Sissy was as intense as portrayed in this story.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a look at Edgar Allan Poe through his "child wife" Virginia Clem Poe's eyes.

Starting with Virgina's ghost seeking Edgar out during his last tortured days in a Baltimore hospital, it tells the story of their small family and the constant ups and downs that being attached to such a man as Poe.

Poe is not only unique in a literary sense (being the creator of the mystery genre), he was also the first American to try to solely subsist on his writing (which, it could be argued, wasn't as appreciated as it should have been until after his death). Being a 19th century woman with no real "voice" of her own, Virginia and her Mother (Muddy) forge ahead and do their best to support Edgar (Eddy) in his literary goals, and his ups and downs and his struggle with alcoholism.

Much has changed, and yet, little has. Families (even famous ones) still deal with alcoholism. Writers (even better known ones) usually don't live completely off of their literary skills alone. Women, while we have a stronger, louder voice then we did in the 19th century are still unusually quite and complacent when it comes to some things. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

I very much enjoyed reading "Eddy's" story through Virginia's eyes. It was well researched (as any Poe fan will be able to tell you), and fulfilled it's main duty of taking me right into the streets of Victorian America - with the sights, sounds, and scents coming alive, and feeling (along with Virginia) both sad at Poe's hardships, and happiness with his triumphs. Sweet, slightly gothic and romantic, a very easy, enjoyable read. Good for a Middle School/High School teacher to include in his or her class.

And yes, she's named for that Lenore...

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really didn't love this book. I think the author should have picked one direction or the other: either write a romantic ghost story or a damp, grimy biography of Poe full of bloody coughs and squalid hospitals. As it is, it feels kind of squalid all the way through -- the marriage between a 13 year old and a 26 year old, which the book never gives the reader the tools to evaluate. Is Sissy an old soul who is truly capable of loving and saving her (ew) cousin even though she's so young? Perhaps. The book sort of suggests that. Or is the whole thing gothic and grotesque and yet another manifestation of the damp, grimy life of a tragic poet? Perhaps. The book sort of suggests that too. Is Poe mad from the start? Romantic and mad? Or mentally ill? Or mad because he likes it? Or an alchoholic? Or genetically doomed? Or just a sad, pathetic loser? Is his love for his young cousin pure? Is she his muse? Or is he sketchy and warped? None of the above? All of the above?

And everyone keeps dying in damp, grimy, squalid ways.

So, I guess, thumbs up for atmosphere. But if you're going to go all out on atmosphere until just reading the book makes one feel tubercular, why frame it like a romantic ghost story? Ghosts are ideal because they are clean -- no blood, no ooze, no noses inconveniently falling off or just missing. No fur at the wrong times of the month. Of all the supernatural possibilities, they're the best suited for high romance -- coming from beyond time and space, crossing the bar to gently touch the cheek of lost love. Not to cough all over him.

[Beks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this while studying Poe was quite a fun experience. Having a knowledge of his works, while not mandatory is definitely helpful as you read what the author thought was going on during his life as he wrote them.

This was a darker story, not at all romantic, but well, it's Edgar Allen Poe, I really didn't expect any real romance. Having read many of these kinds of novels (particularly by Nancy Moser) I must say I did enjoy this writing style and content.

I found Sissy to be correctly portrayed as a girl who was never entirely sure how to grow up. It wasn't until much later in life...well almost in death did she really come into herself. In most circumstances this would have annoyed me but here I found it quite appropriate, considering how her mother never left her to her own devices and how she married so young.

Loved it, and I know this is nerdy, but I giggled to myself when I saw that the name of the person writing this was Lenore.

Great Job.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining, yes, but it could have been so much better. A few times I felt a dramatic lead-up to a great event, and then the event itself was just sort of mentioned in passing. For example, at one point the main character looks forward to smashing the old chipped china teacups when they are finally able to obtain new, matching china. I looked forward to the scene as a great emotional moment, where the character gets great satisfaction smashing these cups against the brick wall. Unfortunately, I did not get this -- the smashing occurs, but it's mentioned in passing, after the fact. Later the character claims to have never felt anger regarding their poverty... but then why look forward to smashing chipped cups, an act of anger? This really made no sense, and to me is an example of the confusion of the whole book. I never really get a strong feel for the character's emotions.

It was an odd book that on one hand, I had trouble putting down, but on the other, it left me wanting.

[Susan Elizabeth Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lenore Hart's new novel, The Raven's Bride, is about the life of Edgar Allen Poe as told through the eyes of his young wife and cousin Virginia Clemm Poe. Lenore's historical fiction is painstakingly researched and the details are completely captivating. I found the perspective, unseen twists, and eery foreshadowing intriguing.

What I also find very interesting is in person, Lenore's ethereal and timeless beauty recalls a bygone century that makes you wonder. Is she so attuned with her characters that they personify in her real life? Or did she discover a time machine in 1850 and travel to us, supporting herself and amusing her audience by writing stories from her world in the mid-nineteenth century?

I highly recommend this book and think it is one of Ms. Hart's best!

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edgar Allen Poe married his young first cousin, Virginia Clem. This novel tells about this marriage from her perspective and describes her childhood. their first meeting, and their married life together. She died very young from TB at age 26, but not before Poe had written some of his greatest works. Very interesting novel about what married life and the creative process might have been like for the young couple. Wonderful descriptions of the cities they lived in: Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, and Richmond. (I almost lost track. They moved so often!) Heartbreaking descriptions of poverty too. I agree with one of the other reviewers that the cover art makes this book look like a bad romance novel. It is not! Far from it. Beautifully written.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

How fitting that I started reading this on "a dark and stormy night". It seemed like the perfect setting for a book that is romantic and macabre as it takes you first person style through the short and tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe's muse, Virginia "Sissy" Clemms.

The author combines the facts from extensive research with a fictional approach to the love story that from the start borders on creepy and inappropriate. Sissy is truly a child bride to her much older cousin Poe. The book tells you what happens to her girlish hopes as she becomes a young woman who knows she's short on time.

If you have any beliefs in the supernatural or in an afterlife you will be caught up in this from the start.