Her Husband

Hughes and Plath, A Marriage

By: Diane Middlebrook

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Ted Hughes married Sylvia Plath in 1956, at the outset of their brilliant careers. Plath's suicide six-and-a-half years later, for which many held Hughes accountable, changed his life, his closest relationships, his standing in the literary world, and brought new significance to his poetry.

Middlebrook presents a portrait of Hughes as a man, as a poet, and as a husband haunted, and nourished, his entire life by the aftermath of his first marriage. How marriages fail and how men fail in marriages is one of the book's central themes.

©2003 Diane Middlebrook (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Middlebrook's [book] is sure to be the gold standard. Astutely reasoned, fluidly written, and developed with psychological acuity, the work is a sympathetically balanced assessment of two lives that flamed brightly with the incandescent fire of creative genius." (Publishers Weekly)
"The most balanced, most literary and interpretatively astute, and best-written analysis yet of the saga of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes." (Booklist)
"Sympathetic but resolutely unsentimental....intelligent, sensitive, at times harrowing." (Joyce Carol Oates, Washington Post Book World)

Ted Hughes is so pretentious

Reading in between the lines as a woman who reads feminist work by people like Andrea Dworkin, i think the author was too nice to Hughes. Evidence that Hughes was weak and jealous: he couldn’t manage caring for his children in solitude AND writing poetry at the same time like Plath did. So much evidence that he was jealous of her and was at the very least emotionally abusive.
Overall I enjoyed the book because of how detailed it is.

Vivid and rich narrative

Incredibly detailed record with narrator to match the mood and flow. Captivating, intriguing, total gem

A greater understanding

This gives a greater understanding of the relationship between Hughes and Sylvia Platt. Really enjoyed.

An interesting listen

This is a really interesting biography. If you're into Plath then this is a great listen. A little on the long side, but it does go into depth about the relationship between Hughes and Plath without a great deal of bias. This book shares a side of Plath not seen in other bios. Recommended.

Fascinating lives of two entwined poets

Would you consider the audio edition of Her Husband to be better than the print version?

After listening to the audio I would enjoy the print version as well

What was one of the most memorable moments of Her Husband?

The poetry of Sylvia Plath

Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but would definitely like to hear more

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The sadness of Plath

Any additional comments?

After listening to this I want to read more of their poetry.