Reviews

Selected Poems, by Sylvia Plath

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writersquarter's review

3.0

Compared to other poets I’ve read, at the beginning of this collection Plath wasn’t grabbing me, I felt very underwhelmed right up until I got to the middle of the collection and WOW, some of the stories she showcased within her poetry was just jaw dropping! ‘The bee meeting’ and ‘Daddy’ are my favourite poems from this collection and I look forward to reading more of her poetry! Definitely worth the read in the end!

whogivesabook's review

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4.0

When Plath writes, she's tackling the most human and frightening aspects of being alive. Especially being alive with mental health issues. I dig that, because I relate a lot. I've got bipolar, her work speaks to me because it flits between high energy and this crushing malaise.

Her work is dark and mythic. There's this constant oppressive atmosphere that is lifted, only to see it replaced by a deepening morbidity.

Plath's work has suffered a lot at the hands of Hughes. It saddens me to admit it, but he was utterly in control of the work we saw. So much was left out of the public eye. I feel like it's hard to rate her work in view of that and so I always preface my reviews with this acknowledgement.

I feel like so much of the work she wrote that dealt with the outside world, and the people in it, aren't available to us. So every collection reads as very interior work and so I find it difficult to engage with because I'm trapped inside myself so much that I enjoy reading work that sets me free.

So, whereas I give this collection a 4, I feel like we'll never really have enough of her really powerful work because it would have damaged Hughes to release it.

If you get a chance, read a few of her poems. They're so beautiful and so easy just to read a few online.

zelinacarstens's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

sewerhill's review

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dark emotional reflective sad

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? Yes

3.5

maylikethemonth's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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? N/A

4.5

ellereadx's review

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4.0

Full Disclosure: I'm not a fan of poetry. For the most part, I don't understand what a poet is trying to say and I think they put too much effort into how they are saying something rather than what they are saying. Having said this, some of the poems in this collection are absolutely beautiful. The themes Plath addresses are truly important and will stand the test of time. I don't think I grasped the true meaning of some of the poems but isn't the true beauty of poetry that a reader can infer what they want? It shows Plath's skill that I am able to infer my own meaning and relate it to my own situation, even if it is not what she initially intended.