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'Brighter and better than Thomas Hardy . . . a marvellous writer' Eloise Millar, Guardian Prudence Sarn was born with her 'precious bane', a cleft palate, for which she is persecuted as a witch by her superstitious neighbours. Hiding from daily ridicule, Prue takes refuge in... Read Full Overview

It was at a love-spinning that I saw Kester first. And if, in these new-fangled days, when strange inventions crowd upon us, when I hear tell there is even a machine coming into use in some parts of the country for reaping and mowing, if those that mayhappen will read this don't... Read Full Overview

Mary Webb's "Precious Bane" invites readers into a world of rural enchantment and profound challenges. Set in the picturesque Shropshire countryside, this novel unfolds the poignant story of Prue Sarn, a young woman with a unique physical deformity, her "precious bane." Despite... Read Full Overview

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...

Born at the time of Waterloo in the wild country of Shropshire, Prudence Sarn is a wild, passionate girl, cursed with a hare lip -- her 'precious bane'. Cursed for it, too, by the superstitious people amongst whom she lives. Prue loves two things: the remote countryside of her... Read Full Overview

1924. A novel by Mary Webb (Mrs. Henry Bertram Law Webb), the Shropshire Novelist. Her beautifully crafted characters are set against a timeless landscape that Webb knew intimately. Her finest achievement was the award of the Prix Femina, a coveted literary prize, for this her... Read Full Overview