He had not seen his native land for 15 years. He was a recent widower, having been married to one of the most famous poets of the time, whose elopement with him was already the stuff of legend. He had a 12-year-old son who only acquired his short hair and long trousers upon the death of his mother. Robert Browning was 49 and had nearly completely sacrificed his own career as a poet to that of his more popular and, it must be said, rather overwhelming wife; now he had to face life without her. Neville-Sington takes the later years of Robert Browning as her narrative, provides the contexts for his internal conflicts and public accomplishments elegantly, and gives valuable insights into the life of a man marked by someone who haunted him without actually being his muse. Distributed in the US by Trafalgar Square. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less