Reviews

Selected Poems of Anne Sexton by Anne Sexton

laindarko2's review against another edition

emotional reflective

margztgz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i worked through this slowly. i really love and relate to so much of anne sexton's poetry. her poetic mind is fascinating even if she is definitely not perfect. will definitely revisit these poems in the future. <3

sylviebrekke's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars!!

“i promise you love - time will not take away that”

hettym's review

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

claudevonriegan's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

My first Anne Sexton poem, which is in this selection, "The Starry Night" told me I would adore her work. As it turns out, a lot of her work is hit or miss for me. The introduction to this selection is very thoughtful, informative, and an excellent read. The poems in this collection which I liked, I REALLY liked.

emlovestrees's review against another edition

5.0

As soon as I started reading this, I fell in love. The way Anne writes about God and mental illness feels so intimate. I think her poetry about God and Christianity really helped me engage with my faith at times this year when I didn't know how.

An Incomplete List of Favorites:

Some Foreign Letters
Her Kind
Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward
What's That
For John, Who Begs Me Not to Enquire Further
The Double Image
The Division of Parts
The Truth the Dead Know
Young
With Mercy for the Greedy
Letter Written on a Ferry While Crossing Long Island
Little Girl, My Stringbean, My Lovely Woman
Live
Some of The Furies
Some of O Ye Tongues
Rowing
The Earth
Small Wire
The Rowing Endeth
In Excelsis

wifescullys's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

davenash's review against another edition

5.0

Great intro by her biographer Diane Midlebrook. This is very well curated selection of poems that traces the arc of Sexton's career.
My early favorites: An Obsessive Combination of Ontological Incapability, Trickery and Love - shows how she can play with words and rhymes.
I remember, The Abortion, Flee on Your Donkey, The Addict are some of my favorites

Also like Just One, Us, Jesus Dies, Where it was back Then,

I read many of these poems before Linda Gray's Mercy Street memoir, then I read them afterwards and they took on a deeper meaning because they are very autobiographical but Sexton also takes a lot licence because its not entirely biographical. Its often the life she wanted or pretended.

I plan on returning to these poems over time.

arabella505's review against another edition

4.0

Fear,
a motor,
pumps me around and around
until I fade slowly
and the crowd laughs.
I fade out, an old bicycle rider
whose odds are measured
in actuary graphs.

asterionsiren's review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0