Reviews

Inferno by Eileen Myles

deathcabforlucy's review

3.0

I kept having to stop reading because the passages were so beautiful, and I had to take them in. But I was wildly confused throughout this book, it was hard to follow. Maybe because I didn’t get a lot of the references which reinforced time changes. I couldn’t even really tell you what this was about, but I liked listening to it. I can appreciate the absolute genius and poetry that were the lines that made it up. Some of my favorite parts:

“The men looked at me like I was the rain. They saw through me to other thoughts.”

“I opened my mouth and cried. About how beautiful love was. How confused I was. The sky held me like a hero.”

“Thinking about a woman while the morning turned blue. I was burning. It was like I took a bolt of lightning and stabbed the world.”

yeahohyeahyeah's review against another edition

4.0

I asked for this book for Christmas of 2010. I was really really really excited about it. I started reading it in March of the following year and it took nearly three years to finally finish it. Eventually I had to download the audiobook and just listen to Eileen read to me. It seemed better that way.

bean_mcmachine's review

5.0

This is a remarkable achievement. Engaging and sexy from beginning to end. Honest, raw, fun. Must read.

notlikethebeer's review

4.0

This was... an interesting one? When it was good it was absolutely utterly brilliant, but when it wasn't so good, it dragged. I felt the first section was the weakest and most laborious, and nearly gave up on it!- but the second two sections were far better.

madelynelizondo's review

3.0

This was deeply personal so I really enjoyed having Eileen read this to me in that wicked Boston accent. A tale of lesbianhood, nyc in the 80/90s and finding their way as a poet… veers into incessant name dropping memoir territory but their dry humor and unique way of telling stories made up for it.

“What do we love? Texas, Joan of Arc and baseball.”

Hah

bananapudding's review

I faded out during the end of the first part through the beginning of the second part, but the second half ish of the book really brought me back and they wrote a lot of really interesting things. Really enjoy Myles’s voice 

katlouisee's review

2.0

eh, I can't really say that it had all the lesbian fantasy missing from OKCupid as there was only maybe half a chapter of it. The book definitely reinforced the stereotypes of poet culture as a bit dithery, pretentious, and fanciful, but there were also some interesting bits to think about and some relatable moments. Was not a fan of the level of detail that the dog killed the hedgehog then emptied its bowels in but we move. I liked the ending to be fair. All in all, not bad, glad I got it from the audible plus catalogue rather than outright

ruby_fiora's review against another edition

funny inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

"There's a moment in a woman's life when she discovers she can have sex with as many people as she wants. Suddenly everyone is a potential partner. That's when men get in the act which is why lesbianism isn't really a thing it's just this unbridled lust. It's like god. If writers are the only people, I mean the last ones who have lives lesbians are the only people who have sex. There's a point at which you know this."

Just really delicious prose. Myles takes her time to tell this story, allowing it to weave in and out and meander. At times I did find it dragged a little, other times it was so good it made my mouth water. Overall I'm very glad to have read it & to have gotten a small glimpse into both Eileen's life and the poetry / art world of mid to late 20th century New York. 

c0rnflakeg1rl's review

5.0

yay lesbians!

fschulenberg's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I went in pretty extreme waves with this book. Strong at first, slow in the middle, and wonderful in the end. One of those books that is kind of about nothing and everything at the same time. Im writing the review 2 days after finishing it - few plot points stick with me but the gist of a woman trying to make things work and trying to understand who she is sticks with me.