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r0sem4rie's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best and most beautiful books I’ve read in a long long time
meg_reads83's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Suicide
anisha_inkspill's review against another edition
informative
4.0
Linda Wagner-Martin builds a portrait of Sylvia Plath despite the challenges she faced to write this biography.
This was an enjoyable read that included extracts of some of Sylvia Plath’s poetry, journals, and references some of her fiction and letters. Sylvia Plath has a wonderful way of using words, what I didn’t realise is how hard Sylvia Plath worked to shape her voice.
I also liked how the biography referenced her writings and gave a few clues of how to read her poems. There have been many a times when I’ve read Plath’s poetry wanting to understand all of that poem and not just parts of it.
Sylvia Plath gets overshadowed by the last few days of her life. I’ve always thought there is more to her and have got a few more books lined up this year to discover this.
(btw, and fyi: my Kindle edition (B016A8MCJC) is a reprint where they strip out all the illustrations. I’ve noticed this with other Kindle books, and it would have been disappointing here if I didn’t have other books.)
This was an enjoyable read that included extracts of some of Sylvia Plath’s poetry, journals, and references some of her fiction and letters. Sylvia Plath has a wonderful way of using words, what I didn’t realise is how hard Sylvia Plath worked to shape her voice.
I also liked how the biography referenced her writings and gave a few clues of how to read her poems. There have been many a times when I’ve read Plath’s poetry wanting to understand all of that poem and not just parts of it.
Sylvia Plath gets overshadowed by the last few days of her life. I’ve always thought there is more to her and have got a few more books lined up this year to discover this.
(btw, and fyi: my Kindle edition (B016A8MCJC) is a reprint where they strip out all the illustrations. I’ve noticed this with other Kindle books, and it would have been disappointing here if I didn’t have other books.)
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
4.0
Linda Wagner-Martin writes in her preface that she had a very different book in mind when she started researching and compiling data for what would become Sylvia Plath: A Biography. She had envisioned the inclusion of extensive quotes and excerpts from Plath’s unpublished manuscripts and somewhat published journals. Initially, it all began pretty much as planned—but then she hit a snag.
You see, Plath’s literary legacy is marshaled, legally, by her estranged husband Ted Hughes [dic] and Ted’s sister, Olwyn Hughes [also dic]. Wagner-Martin explains that, at first, all was well between her and the executors of Plath's personal and literary estate. But as her book started to take form and copies were provided (as requested), the Hughes duo [dics] threatened to withdraw all permissions unless changes where made to the then unfinished and unpublished manuscript. Wagner-Martin had a dilemma: kowtow to Ted and Olwyn [ibid], presumably to make Ted look less villainous, or maintain her integrity as a writer and publish an honest and truthful biography sans all the excerpts and quotations.
Which path did the author choose you ask? I’ll just say that Sylvia Plath: A Biography, at just barely 300 pages, is a LOT shorter than it was originally intended to be. A very well written, honest, and truthful accounting of a remarkable and all-too-short life.
You see, Plath’s literary legacy is marshaled, legally, by her estranged husband Ted Hughes [dic] and Ted’s sister, Olwyn Hughes [also dic]. Wagner-Martin explains that, at first, all was well between her and the executors of Plath's personal and literary estate. But as her book started to take form and copies were provided (as requested), the Hughes duo [dics] threatened to withdraw all permissions unless changes where made to the then unfinished and unpublished manuscript. Wagner-Martin had a dilemma: kowtow to Ted and Olwyn [ibid], presumably to make Ted look less villainous, or maintain her integrity as a writer and publish an honest and truthful biography sans all the excerpts and quotations.
Which path did the author choose you ask? I’ll just say that Sylvia Plath: A Biography, at just barely 300 pages, is a LOT shorter than it was originally intended to be. A very well written, honest, and truthful accounting of a remarkable and all-too-short life.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
I've wanted to delve more into Sylvia Plath but on my book app there are far more biography's and books about her then books written by her and I've decided that that's a good start as any. Found this fascinating to listen to and a good place to start learning about her life, it was very well told. I wanted a little more from this but sense there is at least two more books more covering specific parts of her life and I'm fine continue my Sylvia Plath journey there
willwork4airfare's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, moving. It seems strange to cry at a biography, and it was only a bit, but I have always loved Sylvia Plath and it felt like losing a friend.
anniefwrites's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I’ve been fascinated by Sylvia Plath since I read The Bell Jar a few years ago and it blew me away. This book is super informative about the minutiae of her daily life from childhood to her death, and it paints a clear picture of a person who struggled with mental illness, perfectionism, strict gender expectations, and family trauma. It was a bit dry, but not excessively so for a biography. I do wonder how the book would have been different if the Hughes estate had allowed more access, as the author notes up front. There’s still so much we don’t know.
angstybooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide, and Body shaming
avrilconuve's review against another edition
5.0
Impresionada y maravillada con esta biografía. Un complemento brutal para entender mejor el contexto de su obra.