astrangewind's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
As of late, reading poetry has been so frustrating for me. It's difficult to find poetry that resonates with me, and it's not for lack of searching. Richard Siken's Crush is the latest book of poetry I've actually truly liked. Until now.
Karr's poetry is electric, humming with life. Her imagery is deeply evocative; her language is clear and accessible.
The essay that appears in this book is the first time in recent memory where I feel I've truly learned something about poetry, aside from the definitions of words like enjambment and caesura. It's deeply worth the read for any poet.
Karr's poetry is electric, humming with life. Her imagery is deeply evocative; her language is clear and accessible.
The essay that appears in this book is the first time in recent memory where I feel I've truly learned something about poetry, aside from the definitions of words like enjambment and caesura. It's deeply worth the read for any poet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
dougsasser's review against another edition
4.0
The autobiographical nature of Karr's poetry make this a relational work. She also has a way of examining stories from the gospel with a candid, fresh and unorthodox way. The poetry in this work is as strong as her collections like "Sinners Welcome." The second half of the book is her elevated reflection on modern poetry. She distances herself from academics and critics who write about poetry. Still, this part of the book reads like a paper you would expect to hear read at a conference. Much of it was over the head of a causal poetry admirer like me.
trilobite's review against another edition
3.0
Best line from this book: "Your head's a bad neighborhood:/ Don't go there alone, even if you have to stop/ strangers to ask the way, and even if/spiders fall from your open mouth."
franfernandezarce's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5*
technically speaking, i read all of the poetry in this collection. i just didn't know before picking this book up that i had an essay at the end as a companion piece. yet, considering my knowledge of contemporary american poetry is woefully lacking, i skipped that.
in terms of the poetry, i thought the beginning felt much stronger than the ending. some of my favourite pieces-- "incant against suicide," "the wife of jesus speaks," "requiem for the new year," and "terminus" --felt touching and original without resorting to greater linguistic resources. especially coming from a female, former catholic perspective. however, some of the poems at the end were too separated from my life experience for me to feel as much--particularly those about motherhood. which, of course, has nothing to do (and says nothing about) the poems or poet themselves.
despite having deflated a bit towards the final poems, i would still recommend this collection--perhaps, to those who enjoy sylvia plath's works. i will pick up more of karr's collections in the future, though. her voice was too intriguing for me to let it pass just because i'm not a mother like her.
technically speaking, i read all of the poetry in this collection. i just didn't know before picking this book up that i had an essay at the end as a companion piece. yet, considering my knowledge of contemporary american poetry is woefully lacking, i skipped that.
in terms of the poetry, i thought the beginning felt much stronger than the ending. some of my favourite pieces-- "incant against suicide," "the wife of jesus speaks," "requiem for the new year," and "terminus" --felt touching and original without resorting to greater linguistic resources. especially coming from a female, former catholic perspective. however, some of the poems at the end were too separated from my life experience for me to feel as much--particularly those about motherhood. which, of course, has nothing to do (and says nothing about) the poems or poet themselves.
despite having deflated a bit towards the final poems, i would still recommend this collection--perhaps, to those who enjoy sylvia plath's works. i will pick up more of karr's collections in the future, though. her voice was too intriguing for me to let it pass just because i'm not a mother like her.
h2oetry's review against another edition
4.0
Karr's a great poet. She seems to care quite a bit about both form and content in a poem and its ability to evoke emotion and great pleasure in the process, which leaves a lasting impression or memorable phrase. She also has a short essay after her poems which goes a great deal into eviscerating neo-formalism, as she feels it is a bastardization of good poetry akin to mere bare husks with blood let out. If you like her memoirs, you should definitely read these. If you don't, then carry on with your life how you see fit.
neftzger's review
4.0
I've several of her books and I really enjoy Mary Karr's writing. This particular book has a nice selection of poems, but it also contains a well constructed essay at the end called "Against Decoration." This essay was the highlight of the book for me because Karr explains why she doesn't like this style of writing and builds a strong case. The book is worth reading just for the essay and is something that I think many new writers should read as they develop their own styles and voices.
More...