bookloversboudoir's review against another edition
4.0
https://thebookloversboudoir.wordpress.com/2020/11/24/odes-by-sharon-olds/
I’m a fan of the poet after having read a decent amount of her work. I was looking forward to reading Odes. I thought this was a terrific collection of bold, feminist and deeply personal poetry. Olds directly contracts many aspects of being a woman from taking you period, getting old and being harassed along with a slow of other poems about modern life and the modern world. An ode is an address to particular subject and that’s exactly what Olds does with this bold, impressive collection. The poems felt very personal at times. The best poems included Ode to the Hymen, Ode to My Sister, Hip Replacement Ode, Ode to Menstrual Blood, Blow Job Ode, Split Ode, Toxic Shock Ode and Ode to Dirt.
I’m a fan of the poet after having read a decent amount of her work. I was looking forward to reading Odes. I thought this was a terrific collection of bold, feminist and deeply personal poetry. Olds directly contracts many aspects of being a woman from taking you period, getting old and being harassed along with a slow of other poems about modern life and the modern world. An ode is an address to particular subject and that’s exactly what Olds does with this bold, impressive collection. The poems felt very personal at times. The best poems included Ode to the Hymen, Ode to My Sister, Hip Replacement Ode, Ode to Menstrual Blood, Blow Job Ode, Split Ode, Toxic Shock Ode and Ode to Dirt.
aneumann's review
5.0
This was witty and clever and surprising and funny and reaching and piercing and I really enjoyed it.
choirqueer's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful poetry (albeit some very uncomfortable gender essentialism)
lastsignofthezodiac's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
keatings_c0rner's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition
5.0
This book is such a pleasure! Funny, shocking, astute and every so often the emotional current running through these odes spill over the page. I was drawn in immediately with Ode to the Hymen and its playful imagery but what really held me to these poems is Olds' ability to take the reader into a thought and then sober up quickly with a line that holds more weight than the mischief. I'll keep some of these odes with me for the long haul.
davenash's review against another edition
4.0
Sharon Olds may be the most accessible contemporary poet. Many of these odes are humours meditations on body parts or sex. However, some are serious and touching like Silence and Wiskers. Olds does something Stevens does well - use everyday langauge but add just that one big word at just the right place. The humour and the accebility draws you in and she reveals some truths about everday life.
painauchocolat's review against another edition
Abracadabra - "Disappear, O sickness, at the sound of this word."
On an afternoon where I needed poetry to breathe, Odes gave me some oxygen. Last week I had a conversation with my aunt about vaginal tears and I'm just happy to read the names of women's bodies parts in print.
On an afternoon where I needed poetry to breathe, Odes gave me some oxygen. Last week I had a conversation with my aunt about vaginal tears and I'm just happy to read the names of women's bodies parts in print.
jabuticabooks's review against another edition
2.0
Some odes were really relevant, others personal and difficult to relate to, and others just plain weird. The language was beautiful and mastered very well, but apart from that, I did not enjoy reading this book.