This book describes the marriage of two of the greatest poets of the ages. Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning certainly had their share of troubles and tribulations. It was shocking to me that her father actually wanted none of his children to be married and cut them off financially as well as emotionally if they did. The book, however, was pretty dry for my tastes. Some sections were very hard to get through. Might be worth it for hardcore fans of these tried and true poets. ( )

I had not read other biographies of this couple, so this book was useful to me because it tells the story of their lives and their love for one another. I did sense a bit of preference the author may have displayed toward Robert Browning, or a bias against Elizabeth B.B., and I believe Markus did academic research about him previous to writing this trade book. R.B. did leave much more for the author to work with, since he lived a longer and more prolific existence, so perhaps her bias is understandable. Yet I felt it slanted and colored her re-imagining of scenes, as she delved into their letters and other documents. All in all, a fascinating and readable tale about the kind of love that transcends lifetimes and for that alone, I would recommend it. ( )