Poison

by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer

A tour de force about marriage, deceit, and envy, "rich in fairy tale imagery and in vivid metaphors" ( Publishers Weekly ). The death of flamboyant writer and womanizer Peter Grosvenor sets in motion a series of spiraling events surrounding his legacy and his estate. His bitter third wife, his two children, his sister, his friends, and his would-be biographers are drawn into a maelstrom of intense memories and painful encounters as each of the major players in Peter's life seeks to appropriate Peter's estate for his or her own purposes. As a complex story of passion, jealousy, and loss unfolds, the figures that had once blossomed in Peter's presence spin off into their own orbits and turn against one another without the anchor of his charismatic presence. Ultimately, the tragedy and scandal that marred his life cannot be ended even by his death. Susan Fromberg Schaeffer writes with exquisite flavor and measure; character, history, and relationships build into a large, minutely detailed canvas and remind us why she is a master of the epic novel. Reading group guide included.

Genres: Fiction, Adult Fiction

616 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Susan Fromberg Schaeffer was an American novelist and poet who was a Professor of English at Brooklyn College for more than thirty years. She won numerous national writing awards and contributed book reviews for the New York Times.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Fr...

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dare you to read this and NOT know who the writers are in this book.

[Maeta]

I am stopping with this book after 100 pages. I promised myself I would give it at least 100 pages before giving up. It is boring, hard to follow, and written in a kind of stream of conciousness that is very irritating. It would be different if the author would follow some sort of logic in her writing, but she literally jumps from one character to another in the middle of thoughts, and never seems to finish and thought. After 60 pages, I still did not know who the main character is, nor did I really know much about the plot. And after 100 pages, I had gotten to where I did not care. I know the author is considered a good writer, but she is not my kind of writer. That is why I am giving this book no rating.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I loved this book. It is the definitive work on relationships and marriages. It is 606 pages but every page is a revelation.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ehhh... This one was not very good. It was much more centered around the characters than the plot and even then, in the end, nothing was resolved at all.
In the beginning, it hinted at secrets, resolutions, but largely it failed to deliver - astonishing for it being a 600 page plus book. The writing was very good, though the P.O.V. was a little confusing at times.
The only good thing that was fun in reading about the envy-inspiring lifestyles of these writers. Other than being the catalyst for some good day dreams, I didn't get much out of it. I wouldn't recommend it, thought, and I certainly don't plan on revisiting it in the future.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed "Time in Its Flight" immensely and kept reading this book hoping that I would eventually like this one as well. It never happened. An utter waste of 606 pages. I have to remember that I really don't have to finish the books I start; there are too many other out there to waste ones time on something less than enjoyable.

[Elizabeth Sulzby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started rereading this book without realizing I'd read it before. It's as depressing as I remembered it.
The set-up of two talented wives who committed suicide via gas in kitchen range while married to a man who was also a well known and "handsome" man reminds too tritely of Sylvia Plath. Now the man has died and his sisters, son, daughter and third wife are having neverending squabbles. I may quit or may skim through to see if there is anything of value I missed before. Too bad--I enjoy Schaeffer's novels usually.
Tee-he, I see the book blurb called this a "tour de force," forcing me to hate all these characters!

[Mauberley]

I'm pretty sure that's Erica Jong who is noisily declaiming on the virtue of black panties. And poor Elaine Feinstein doesn't come across too well although her husband fares even worse. Fromberg Schaeffer, on the other hand, appears very much as the voice of reason throughout. A terrific story, well rendered, and endlessly fascinating for those who are interested in the main characters and their historical 'originals'. On the other hand, the speculations in which this fiction indulges ought not to be taken as the definitive historical record.

[Jennifer]

Put this down after 20 pages. Paragraphs were entire sentences with so many commas. The stream of consciousness never paused ... or stopped.
While I'm proud of myself for stopping a read I'm not enjoying, this long line of "hard to get through" and "DNF" books is killing me!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unputdownable! This book is a must for any fan of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes and is packed with revelations.

[Pm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a Plath completist. I thought this might be interesting, like fan-fic. Oh god it was DULL. Dull, dull, dull, dull dull. Rambling on for page after page of nothing much at all. I do not know how somebody can make such a compelling subject so very boring. I got to page 60 before I gave up, and even then I had to skip bits.

As a side note: why on earth do
US authors who are writing books about English people not give the book to an English person to proofread? We don't talk about "stoves," we say "cookers"! And the awful sub Carry On colloquialisms: "Leave it out," says the son of a wealthy poet, like he was auditioning for EastEnders. Please if you're on American writing a book about England ask some British person to proofread it. The 60 million of us, you should be able to find someone!

That's 6 quid I won't get back.

[ZK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poison disguises Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes as Evelyn and Peter Grosvenor, opening on the day of Peter’s funeral. The turbulence of Peter’s life after Evelyn’s suicide is explored; his marriages, his affairs; his failures; his attempts to free himself from his betrayed, manipulative, controlling third wife. Multiple POVs, the voiced narratives of his children, his last love, his sister, his wife, the thinly disguised author and others, all switching within chapters. A winding and rambling roman à clef that never quite achieves a conclusion, it’s deceptively captivating. A frustrating, yet addicting read. Poison.
3 1/2 stars

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to know what happened to the family after the death of Ted Hughes, but felt the book didn't really end, it just became quite whimsical and I wasn't clear what it was trying to say.

[H.L. Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Fromberg Schaeffer’s novel, Poison, is a brilliant work of fiction; it is how all novels should be written. Poison explores the themes of love, greed, desire, human strengths and weaknesses, peoples’ perceptions of each other, and how we are molded by these perceptions. The author allows us inside the heads of a wide cast of characters and gives the reader the opportunity to decide who is good or bad, right or wrong. You’ll find yourself comparing the characters to your own friends and family all the while claiming, “I would never act like that.” The stream of consciousness style gives the reader the delicious, wicked sensation of reading someone’s private correspondence or diary. The letters between several characters heightens the experience.

Ms. Schaeffer employs the scenario of a death and a will like a bomb to set off a series of explosive events. It’s a situation many readers will find familiar. Like watching a slow-motion train wreck, one cannot turn away from reading the disastrous accounts of the characters’ lives. Your allegiances will shift throughout the book.

Poison is not a beach read. It is not for readers who want to plow through a book or those who want to be told everything up front with lots of action and a singular POV. But if you are willing to allow the story to unfold, the characters to develop and evolve, Poison will prove to be incredibly satisfying. I truly believe the novel will appeal to the intelligent reader whose mind can juggle multiple POVs, information given out of chronological order, and backstory appearing right up to the conclusion. It may sound like utter chaos, but I found Poison to be remarkably well-structured, one of the best works of literary fiction I’ve ever read.

[Cheri Vause · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have desperately tried to like this book. Even though the writing is poetic, it has a tendency to ramble. After reading several sentences I want to scream, "Blah, blah, blah, blah. Just stop the constant Woe is me stuff." I couldn't give it any less than one star, and I couldn't give it any more. I have finally given up on it. The one star is because I don't want to give up on the author, just the book. I will search for another of her works and see if I will love her work.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poison has to be one of my favourite books of all time. The writing is beautiful, the characters are fascinating, and although the plot takes a back seat, the overall book is perfect. It isn't a book you can read lightly, you have to immerse yourself in it. I read it in a day, it was so enthralling. I haven't yet read any other of Schaeffer's books, but if this is how she writes all the time, I definitely will.

[Trine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book tremendously. The language so wonderful, and some of the characters very vivid. Though sad and unresolved at the end, the descriptions from so many different perspectives was very interesting and entertaining to read. Only minus that some scenes are very long drawn and seem to provide excessive detail on random aspects. Would recommend it to anyone interested in exploring relationships - family, marriage and friendship.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on this book after 103 pages. It was very difficult for me to keep track of who was talking. There were so many run on sentences and character switches I just couldn't keep it all straight. In addition to that, just wasn't my type of book. I like adventure and thrillers and mysteries and this book wasn't really any of those things.

[Marianne Shaker]

A very thoughtful, beautifully written book about the havoc a man wreaked in people's lives and how his death affected them. That said, I only got half way through. I just couldn't connect with the characters and the analysis just went on and on and on and on and on........

I will look for other books by author, however.

[Jsue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a satisfying read. Like life itself, nothing really changes in the process, until death itself calls a halt. A good description of the human condition and the foibles inherent to it. Overall a depressing volume, but beautifully written.

[Lisa Mayer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very frustrating - have given up. Tried and tried to keep reading but felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall just dealing with all the negativity. Please don't judge the author by this book, she's written some brilliant books. This is just not one of them.

[Kit James · Rating 5 out of 5]

One 700 page poem.

[N · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to get through this book and like it, because I've thought one of her other books was phenomenally written...

[Lisa Cantrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not as good as the golden rope by the same author

[Febbysue]

Ahkay. Just bought this :) Yahuuu. Next to Brida.

[Barbara Matros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth is very elusive in this novel, but i think that is the point. It is well-written, but almost unbearably sad. One must hope that the human predicament is not as dire as portrayed here.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

bleh

[Viktoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even get halfway through the book before I gave up. I couldn't deal with the whole "woman wo us me" crap.

[Georgene Ingwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tragic life of a poet and his unhappy wives...the ending was difficult to discern ….but enjoyed her style and am now reading another book by the same author

[Bri_laughs_a_lot. · Rating 1 out of 5]

AWFUL! Could barely finish this book :(