Selene of the Spirits
Subtitle
A Novel
Set in the romantic world of Victorian London, "Selene of the Spirits" is the story of a beautiful young woman with psychic powers who acquires sudden fame as a medium in the spiritualist circles of the day. Just as precipitous is Selene's fall from grace after the revelation of her love affair with a renowned scientist. Exiled to the Welsh countryside, Selene learns more about the spiritual, and carnal, side of life than she ever had in London, as she is transformed by the fulfillment of her love.
Bio
Melissa Pritchard is professor emeritus of English (creative writing) at Arizona State University.
Praise for this book
Meticulous research, elegant style and genial acceptance of human nature make Flannery O'Connor Award winner Pritchard a compelling narrator. Without rancor or pretentiousness, she probes the choices Victorian England offered young women craving independence and examines both the comedy and poignancy of the search for proof of an afterlife. Vivid minor characters (Selene's overreaching parents, Herapath's wronged taxidermist wife, the sisters' wealthy benefactor and his troubled daughter) enrich this brief novel with compassion and make it as haunting as its subject.
Publishers Weekly
A distinctive achievement, both as a historical novel and a romance. Fit to stand on the shelf with Fowles's 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' and Byatt's 'Possession.'
Kirkus Reviews
