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jmarkwindy's review against another edition
3.0
"Parodos" / "A Fantasy" / "A Novel" / "The Untrustworthy Speaker" / "A Fable" / "Child Crying Out" / "Celestial Music" / "First Memory"
librocrone's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
There were some really beautiful turns of phrase in this collection that hit home, but in general not my favorite collection I’ve ever read, nor my favorite of Louise Gluck’s.
namastayyy's review against another edition
reflective
sad
4.0
This poetry collection was a bullet with my name on it.
So sorry to tell you Gluck but you must choose to either be besties with your sister, or worst enemies. Nuance like this is not allowed amongst our people. So sorry to tell you this. Good luck having a sister and having to live with yourself as you are for the rest of your life though 👍
So sorry to tell you Gluck but you must choose to either be besties with your sister, or worst enemies. Nuance like this is not allowed amongst our people. So sorry to tell you this. Good luck having a sister and having to live with yourself as you are for the rest of your life though 👍
faloodamooda's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
i usually love her work but i was underwhelmed by this
missdaisy17's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
5.0
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
5.0
I love all of Glück's work but this one particularly.
julienbakerstan69's review against another edition
4.0
“my mother wants to know
why, if i hate
family so much,
i went ahead and
had one. i don’t
answer my mother.
what i hated
was being a child,
having no choice about
the people i loved.
i don’t love my son
the way i meant to love him.
i thought i’d be
the lover of orchids who finds
red trillium growing
in the pine shade and doesn’t
touch it, doesn’t need
to possess it. what i am
is the scientist,
who comes to that flower
with a magnifying glass
and doesn’t leave, though
the sun burns a brown
circle of grass around
the flower. which is
more or less the way
my mother loved me.
i must learn
to forgive my mother,
now that i’m helpless
to spare my son.”
—brown circle
why, if i hate
family so much,
i went ahead and
had one. i don’t
answer my mother.
what i hated
was being a child,
having no choice about
the people i loved.
i don’t love my son
the way i meant to love him.
i thought i’d be
the lover of orchids who finds
red trillium growing
in the pine shade and doesn’t
touch it, doesn’t need
to possess it. what i am
is the scientist,
who comes to that flower
with a magnifying glass
and doesn’t leave, though
the sun burns a brown
circle of grass around
the flower. which is
more or less the way
my mother loved me.
i must learn
to forgive my mother,
now that i’m helpless
to spare my son.”
—brown circle