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katievallin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
filaughn's review against another edition
5.0
As meditative and gorgeous as I'd expect from Mary Oliver. The thoughts around death and change, the nature, the peace of it - this is one I'll re-read.
jnorthrop624's review against another edition
5.0
“The poem is not the world. It isn’t even the first page of the world. But the poem wants to flower, like a flower. It knows that much. It wants to open itself, like the door of a little temple, so that you might step inside and be cooled and refreshed, and less yourself than part of everything.”
“And what could be more comforting than to fold grief like a blanket—to fold anger like a blanket, with neat corners—to put them into a box of words?”
“And what could be more comforting than to fold grief like a blanket—to fold anger like a blanket, with neat corners—to put them into a box of words?”
karolyne's review against another edition
4.0
i love the way mary oliver describes mundane things in such a beautiful way and how she is able to make a simple act of nature become a deep reflection. she will be always my favorite poet.
i will not lie, i was afraid i was not going to like this book as much as i like felicity for example because the book has the type of structure i least like in oliver’s poems. anyway, i end up having a marvelous time reading it. it’s beautiful, captivating, and so well written.
p.s. planning to read “red bird” very soon!!!
i will not lie, i was afraid i was not going to like this book as much as i like felicity for example because the book has the type of structure i least like in oliver’s poems. anyway, i end up having a marvelous time reading it. it’s beautiful, captivating, and so well written.
p.s. planning to read “red bird” very soon!!!
soph_emi's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This has got to be my favorite Mary Oliver poetry collection so far. As much as I love the joy of her work, I feel like this collection focuses more on the other side of the coin, on the questions and sorrow that arise from the beauty of nature.
sonnetsandstarfall's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first dance with Mary Oliver, after seeing some excerpts of her poetry shared in various places (mostly by Misha Collins). I decided that I loved what I was reading, and traipsed to the library to grab what I could. This poem (in several parts) left me speechless in the way that any good story does. Oliver's words transport the reader into the feel of the poem in a way that I remember mostly from childhood: the warm feeling of developing a scene and story in your mind while reading along or being read to. I was there with her as she explored life's joys and sorrows through nature, and painted a masterpiece with words while explaining the artistry itself. I was in a daze as I finished, immediately wanting to pick it up again and exist in the serenity of her landscapes, observations and stylizations. I can't wait to read more of her works, and I can't wait to add this one to my bookshelf so that I can take a highlighter to the numerous parts that I imagine will stay with me and make me just think to myself 'wow', every once and awhile.