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sydsnot71's review against another edition
4.0
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
Of things unknown
But longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
The only poem of Maya Angelou's that I really knew before reading this collection was 'Still I Rise', which is an amazing piece of work. The fact that there is a rather good YouTube clip of Angelou reading it live emphasises its wondrousness.
This collection features a number of poems at that standard: Phenomenal Woman, Just for a Time, Junkie Monkey Reel, My Arkansas, The Singer Will Not Sing, Willie, To Beat The Child Was Bad Enough, Woman Work, Ain't That Bad, A Good Woman Feeling Bad, Recovery, Caged Bird and The Lie.
The rest aren't bad either.
There are, as always with good poetry, lines that get under the skin and images that the closed eye can still see.
What it has also done is make me want to read more of Maya Angelou's work and find out more about her.
with a fearful trill
Of things unknown
But longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
The only poem of Maya Angelou's that I really knew before reading this collection was 'Still I Rise', which is an amazing piece of work. The fact that there is a rather good YouTube clip of Angelou reading it live emphasises its wondrousness.
This collection features a number of poems at that standard: Phenomenal Woman, Just for a Time, Junkie Monkey Reel, My Arkansas, The Singer Will Not Sing, Willie, To Beat The Child Was Bad Enough, Woman Work, Ain't That Bad, A Good Woman Feeling Bad, Recovery, Caged Bird and The Lie.
The rest aren't bad either.
There are, as always with good poetry, lines that get under the skin and images that the closed eye can still see.
What it has also done is make me want to read more of Maya Angelou's work and find out more about her.
sakisreads's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Maya Angelou never fails to impress. I’ve got the last two autobiographies on their way and I knew that this anthology of poems would be a wonderful way to get back into the swing of her writing 🥰
My favourite poems from each part:
Phenomenal Woman - I remember studying this one in school and feeling the impact of Angelou for the first time. She really is a phenomenal woman! 🔥
Kin (for Bailey) - Reading her autobiographies makes you realise what an incredible bond she and Bailey had and the poem highlights this sibling love 👏🏼
Still I Rise - ‘Does it come as a surprise that I dance like I’ve got diamonds at the meeting of my thighs?’ 👏🏼
The Last Decision - Not a happy-go-lucky poem; there’s an element of hopelessness that I wasn’t expecting but that I thoroughly appreciated 😳
3.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ One to come back to!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Grief