Precious Bane

Precious Bane is a novel written by Mary Webb, first published in 1924. The story is set in the rural Shropshire region of England in the early 19th century and follows the life of a young woman named Prue Sarn, who is born with a cleft lip, which has earned her the nickname ""Precious Bane"". Prue is a strong-willed and independent character who is determined to overcome the prejudices and limitations placed upon her by her appearance.Despite her physical deformity, Prue is intelligent, ambitious, and has a deep love of nature. She dreams of escaping her small village and making a life for herself in the wider world. However, her plans are complicated by her family's poverty and the social constraints of the time.As the story unfolds, Prue finds herself caught up in a complex web of relationships, including a passionate love affair with a wealthy landowner named Kester Woodseaves. Their relationship is complicated by the fact that Kester is engaged to another woman, and Prue's appearance makes her an unlikely match for him.Throughout the novel, Mary Webb explores themes of love, self-acceptance, and the struggle for personal freedom in a society that values conformity and tradition. Precious Bane is a beautifully written and evocative novel that captures the spirit of rural England in the early 19th century. It is a timeless story of a young woman's journey towards self-discovery and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.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 fifth novel, Precious Bane, a story of rural Shropshire in the early nineteenth century. This book was greatly admired by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, who sent the author a letter of appreciation.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.