Mrs Poe - Lynn Cullen

**I was on the road for a couple weeks and am catching up on my book posts for my reading during the trip.

I'm a fan of historical fiction.  I enjoy learning about something while at the same time reading a good story.  I'm often drawn to exploring more of the facts of the characters or events described in the story.

This story tells of the love affair of Frances Osgood, a married woman with two small daughter and an absent, philandering husband, and Edgar Allen Poe, in the 1840's.  In the center of their relationship is Poe's first cousin, Virgina Poe, who he'd married when she was 13 and he 26.  Woven through the tale is the struggle of writing and of the writer.  There's the moral struggle of Mrs Osgood, the guilt of Mr. Poe and the suspicions of Mrs. Poe for tension.  Who is the villain here?  A good read with a genuine portrayal of 1840's New York and the lives of the characters.

Published: 2013  Read: October 2014  Genre: Historical fiction

ISBN 1476702918