Her Husband: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath--A Marriage [Mass Market Paperback]

Diane Middlebrook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004

Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were husband and wife; they were also two of the most remarkable poets of the twentieth century. In this stunning new account of their marriage, Diane Middlebrook draws on a trove of newly available papers to craft a beautifully written portrait of Hughes as a man, as a poet, and as a husband haunted-and nourished-his entire life by his relationship to Sylvia Plath.

Her Husband is a triumph of the biographer's art and an up-close look at a couple who saw each other as the means to becoming who they wanted to be: writers and mythic representations of a whole generation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Diane Middlebrook's shrewd and compelling biography . . . is a book of mysteries, delicately revealed. (O Magazine)

A deep, rich, and satisfying biography of a marriage- harrowing and ironic, playful and grave. (The Washington Post Book World)

Unquestionably the best book written thus far on these complicated geniuses. (The Baltimore Sun)

About the Author

Diane Middlebrook is the author of the bestselling Anne Sexton: A Biography, which was a finalist for both a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award, and Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142004871
• ISBN-13: 978-0142004876
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #563,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( P ) > Plath, Sylvia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a thesis paper, May 22, 2008

By 

queenbee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Husband: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath--A Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't hate this book, but it assumes that one has significant knowledge of the artists' bodies of work, making reference to poems without giving any context or appendixing the passages to which it refers. I suppose I expected something a lot more personal and a little less mechanical, from the title of the book -- not a romance novel, don't get me wrong, but something more human, and more psychologically interesting. I honestly am having trouble getting through it, so I just wanted to bring some balance to the other reviews. It isn't BAD, but make sure you know what you're getting.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Passion and Pyre of Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, April 22, 2007

By 

Tianne Pierce "Kerjoshin" (Beautiful Wasatch Front, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Husband: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath--A Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

Anyone fairly acquainted with modern poets will of course stumble across the marital storyline of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. In biographies I look for accuracy, dynamic writing, and the ability to have the reader feel as though they are part of the history, albeit in the shadows, listening and breathing it in. This book does an informative and exhaustively researched job in presenting a human and heartbreaking rendering of Syliva and Ted. The bias is hesitant in assigning blame to one or the other, but hopes to show the frailty and humanity in both of these intelligent individuals, whilst keeping the history and richness of both parties personalities and their artistry keenly alive. At no point did I find this tedious to read and I had a great interest in the unraveling of their marriage and I sympathize with the holding power of these two, not only their love affair, but their power as poets. It's a lovely, engaging story at it's most primitive level and a fantastic analysis of two wonderfully creative souls and the forces that drove them together and incidentally cast them apart.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful portrait of Hughes and Plath, May 29, 2008

By 

IngridLola (UT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Her Husband: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath--A Marriage (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book. Diane Middlebrook approaches the subject respectfully and without bias, which really brought it home for me. I found it interesting because it really discusses the ins and outs of the marriage between Plath and Hughes, focusing specifically on the creative connection they felt with each other. The book is organized chronologically in stages of the relationship. It's certainly not your typical biography.

Middlebrook has a flowing writing style that made this book fun to read. You can tell she understands the importance of words--it shows in her analyses and also her own writing style.

And yes, there is a lot of analysis in this book. Personally, I loved getting the psychological and emotional background behind the poetry. This was, I thought, one of the greatest things about the book. If you like studying poetry and literature like me, you will love this biography. If you are looking for something more thrilling and tawdry, I'd go watch the movie "Sylvia."