Pam Kendall
Prue Sarn is a true herione who can reach out to all women. She has courage, bravery & a spirit of true beauty. Mary Webb gives us an enduring tale of feminine liberation set against the old confines of rural Shropshire.

Edwina Bryant
My mother's recommendation, too, but only read after her death - to my shame. I second all the comments previously made. Such poignancy. Taught me too that beauty isn't everything altho'I have to admit that I am swayed by it. I had nominated "A Testament of Youth" but that hasn't come through.This because it threw up the differences for women now and then as well as the innocence of the love.

Helen Neale
As a teenager I believed myself to be deeply unattractive and this book persuaded me that physial good looks are not essential in order to be loved. I read and re-read it.

jane usher
with a world obsessed with beauty and success, how beautiful that the 'real' beauty of this women shines through

Amina Marix Evans
Yes! This was and remains one of my favourite novels. I was probably about 15 when I read it - at my Mother's recommendation - and it remains my favourite of all Mary Webb's books.

E Green
It confirmed the fact that you can be brilliant without having to conform to the norm.

Sue Pine
Having experienced the breakdown of my marriage and another unsuccessful relationship, I had convinced myself that I needed to be beautiful.... and perfect, in order to be loved. The main character within the novel is Prue Sarn, who is neither of the above, indeed she suffers her Precious Bane, a hare lip. Yet despite everything, she is eventually loved for her true beauty, her passion for life. After reading the novel I felt quite humble and then angry that I had allowed others to dictate who I should be.