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elizlizabeth's review against another edition
fast-paced
1.5
There's two or three salvageable poems but honestly I feel like Bukowski just relies on the shock factor to pretend that he's actually good.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Excrement, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, and Stalking
gorgnzla's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
I would give this zero stars, except it was so impactful that it made me never want to read anything by Bukowski ever again. So I guess that’s something?
Highly do not recommend. His writing felt lazy and uninspired, not to mention the blatant pedophilia and misogyny. This book was essentially him griping about “his wh*res,” shitting, and people obsessing over him. Not sure why, when he mentions every other segment that his underwear has shit stains. Not much to adore there. It feels like a case of narcissism to me, but that’s just my opinion.
It’s got to be some dedication that he wrote over a hundred pages of (subpar, mind you) poems that essentially boil down to “I have a red hair fetish.” I finished the book out of pure spite. And, out of even more spite, I don’t think I’ll ever pick up another one of his books again.
Highly do not recommend. His writing felt lazy and uninspired, not to mention the blatant pedophilia and misogyny. This book was essentially him griping about “his wh*res,” shitting, and people obsessing over him. Not sure why, when he mentions every other segment that his underwear has shit stains. Not much to adore there. It feels like a case of narcissism to me, but that’s just my opinion.
It’s got to be some dedication that he wrote over a hundred pages of (subpar, mind you) poems that essentially boil down to “I have a red hair fetish.” I finished the book out of pure spite. And, out of even more spite, I don’t think I’ll ever pick up another one of his books again.
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content and Excrement
angel_kiiss's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A man writing about his sexual exploits and how much women want to f*ck him. That being said, once you get past Part 1, there are some really stellar pieces of work. Once he starts on dark nights of the soul and stops writing about having sex with women.
Part 2 is his best work in the collection. However, trigger warnings for Part 3 and 4 when physical abuse against women is mentioned and encouraged and Bukowski explicitly states his sexual desires toward minors multiple times. Even going so far as to "relieve" himself while stalking an identified 15-year-old girl.
This is a collection of raw work in which you can feel the grime and you can feel the pain (whether or not you can identify with that pain is on you). All the poems flow in what feels like a narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The last poem feels like the last chapter, the final part being Bukowski's final in life. And although he is definitely a pervert and a creep, there is still some raw intrigue to his work that speaks to the broken pieces of my artist's souls.
Overall, if I wanted to listen to an old straight man talk about all the sex he's had with Texan women, I'd move back to Texas.
Part 2 is his best work in the collection. However, trigger warnings for Part 3 and 4 when physical abuse against women is mentioned and encouraged and Bukowski explicitly states his sexual desires toward minors multiple times. Even going so far as to "relieve" himself while stalking an identified 15-year-old girl.
This is a collection of raw work in which you can feel the grime and you can feel the pain (whether or not you can identify with that pain is on you). All the poems flow in what feels like a narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The last poem feels like the last chapter, the final part being Bukowski's final in life. And although he is definitely a pervert and a creep, there is still some raw intrigue to his work that speaks to the broken pieces of my artist's souls.
Overall, if I wanted to listen to an old straight man talk about all the sex he's had with Texan women, I'd move back to Texas.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Excrement, and Vomit
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