chirson's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the way it works as an answer to The Waste Land, and the use of intertextuality. Made a tremendous impression on me.
katiebartmess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
After trying to sit down and read this a few times, I found it very helpful to watch a YouTube performance of it while I read. Its very hard to keep track of characters especially when their lines are almost exclusively just cutting each other off to deliver their own monologue. As a whole I have no idea what I just read which is probably a big part of the point. This will require rereads to appreciate more, I assume. The characters only make sense for about 20% of the play here and there, the other 80% is vague single-word or half-sentence statements (assumedly?) about each of their grief. Giving the characters names beyond just one letter might have helped the reader keep track more, but to be fair, this is meant to be a play
emsemsems's review against another edition
4.0
“I crave white on white and black, but my thoughts race in glorious technicolour, prodding me awake, whipping away the warm blanket of invisibility every time it sears to smother my mind in nothing.”
So brilliant, so fucking poetic, and so much like a poem even though it’s supposed to be just a play. Reading ‘Crave’ felt a lot like reading a long poem. Even though technically there are 4 characters in the plays, I feel like they overlap each other a lot; it was not easy to tell them apart. And because the names are single-lettered – without any indication of whether or not it’s merely an initial, it was hard to tell the characters apart. It’s much easier to read the play without trying to pick them apart too much.
Somewhere in the middle of the play, ‘A’ (one of the characters) goes on in an almost ‘stream of consciousness’ kind of way – presenting the readers/play-attendees with almost a page long of unpunctuated lines that holds together this bit that I like : “and think I’m losing myself but know I’m safe with you and tell you the worst of me and try to give you the best of me because you don’t deserve any less and answer your question when I’d rather not and tell you the truth when I really don’t want to”. It’s hard to tell who ‘A’ is referring to, but I’m not bothered by not knowing. I think whatever that was offered/presented in the play was enough; as if knowing more would be unnecessary.
‘A’ finishes the whole incredible thing with : “it’s beautiful learning to know you and well worth the effort and speak German to you badly and Hebrew to you worse and make love with you at three in the morning and somehow somehow somehow communicate some of the overwhelming undying overpowering unconditional all-encompassing heart-enriching mind-expanding on-going never-ending love I have for you”. It’s a bit of a breath-ey read, but I think it’s interesting how Kane has written this bit in for A/the play in general. It’s so cleverly placed and so cleverly composed. It feels manically poetic, adequately discomforting, and so sharply poignant.
And then there are some lines/descriptions that don’t make much sense, and probably does not bind the play together in any significant or majorly important way, but I truly appreciate the tone and atmosphere they bring to the play. I keep thinking about them long after I finish reading it – wishing that I had come up with those lines instead. Kane is/was such a brilliant writer/playwright – there’s simply no doubt in that. Even though the play is not set in any specific location(s), there are some descriptions of some dreamy/vague landscapes that complements the vibe of the play very well. Perhaps because of that, I did not mind how unconventional/peculiar the play was in terms of setting and characterisation. I’d go as far as to say that it was as if the conversations between the characters were taken place in someone’s mind.
M Sunny landscapes. Pastel walls. Gentle air conditioning.
M A cold fuck and a goldfish memory.
I almost wish that this was a poem instead of a play. But I do think that having very different actors/actresses play out the four characters in the play would allow for the best experience of this brilliant piece of work/art. As with most plays, it’s better to go see it play out on the stage (to get the full effect/experience of it), but I think I was able to enjoy this as it is with a little bit of imagination.
So brilliant, so fucking poetic, and so much like a poem even though it’s supposed to be just a play. Reading ‘Crave’ felt a lot like reading a long poem. Even though technically there are 4 characters in the plays, I feel like they overlap each other a lot; it was not easy to tell them apart. And because the names are single-lettered – without any indication of whether or not it’s merely an initial, it was hard to tell the characters apart. It’s much easier to read the play without trying to pick them apart too much.
Somewhere in the middle of the play, ‘A’ (one of the characters) goes on in an almost ‘stream of consciousness’ kind of way – presenting the readers/play-attendees with almost a page long of unpunctuated lines that holds together this bit that I like : “and think I’m losing myself but know I’m safe with you and tell you the worst of me and try to give you the best of me because you don’t deserve any less and answer your question when I’d rather not and tell you the truth when I really don’t want to”. It’s hard to tell who ‘A’ is referring to, but I’m not bothered by not knowing. I think whatever that was offered/presented in the play was enough; as if knowing more would be unnecessary.
‘A’ finishes the whole incredible thing with : “it’s beautiful learning to know you and well worth the effort and speak German to you badly and Hebrew to you worse and make love with you at three in the morning and somehow somehow somehow communicate some of the overwhelming undying overpowering unconditional all-encompassing heart-enriching mind-expanding on-going never-ending love I have for you”. It’s a bit of a breath-ey read, but I think it’s interesting how Kane has written this bit in for A/the play in general. It’s so cleverly placed and so cleverly composed. It feels manically poetic, adequately discomforting, and so sharply poignant.
And then there are some lines/descriptions that don’t make much sense, and probably does not bind the play together in any significant or majorly important way, but I truly appreciate the tone and atmosphere they bring to the play. I keep thinking about them long after I finish reading it – wishing that I had come up with those lines instead. Kane is/was such a brilliant writer/playwright – there’s simply no doubt in that. Even though the play is not set in any specific location(s), there are some descriptions of some dreamy/vague landscapes that complements the vibe of the play very well. Perhaps because of that, I did not mind how unconventional/peculiar the play was in terms of setting and characterisation. I’d go as far as to say that it was as if the conversations between the characters were taken place in someone’s mind.
M Sunny landscapes. Pastel walls. Gentle air conditioning.
M A cold fuck and a goldfish memory.
I almost wish that this was a poem instead of a play. But I do think that having very different actors/actresses play out the four characters in the play would allow for the best experience of this brilliant piece of work/art. As with most plays, it’s better to go see it play out on the stage (to get the full effect/experience of it), but I think I was able to enjoy this as it is with a little bit of imagination.
finchiy's review
1.0
I really never read plays, but saw a quote online from Crave that I loved, hence why I'm here. ("If I could be free of you without having to lose you. Sometimes that's not possible")
While I did not understand a single thing that was supposed to happen, I did enjoy the style of Kane's longer meaningful phrases. I would have loved reading this as an actual poetry collection, but it is what it is.
While I did not understand a single thing that was supposed to happen, I did enjoy the style of Kane's longer meaningful phrases. I would have loved reading this as an actual poetry collection, but it is what it is.
ebunk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
anasebastiao's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Pedophilia
zadel's review against another edition
If I could be free of you without having to lose you.
C Please stop this.
M And now I have found you.
C Someone has died who is not dead.
A And now we are friends.
C It's not my fault, it was never my fault.
M Everything that happens is supposed to happen.
C You've fallen in love with someone that doesn't exist.
A Tragedy.
B Really.
M Oh yes.
A What do you want?
C To die.
B To sleep.
M No more.
C I wish to live with myself.
A No witnesses.
M And if this makes no sense then you understand perfectly.
Listen. I am here to remember. I need to... remember. I have this grief and I don't know why
clonazine's review against another edition
5.0
Mira que voy a escribir algo lineal, masticado y convencional cuando puedo hacer esto? 🤌 Una visionaria, poeta, revolucionaria ESA fue Sarah Kane. Su estilo es de una belleza y brutalidad indescriptible, no es como nada que hayas leído antes. Es algo MAS.