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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Even though I couldn't get into Argonauts, this and Bluets have made me want to read everything Nelson has written. Few others could tell such a sad story of loss in such a deeply intimate, relatable way. Some favorite lines:
"Her youth an aura like a
new haircut—just blatant,
raw, crushing. A headband
keeps her brown hair back;
her lips are parted slightly.
How she wants. How she
penetrates, her eyes set back
in her brow like my mother's,
like their father's: dark
obedient, devouring."
"Tomorrow: holds France, perhaps.
Pittsburgh, of course.
Loneliness, so what."
"The whole photo
is dreamy, as if washed
in milk, Jane's skin
a pale apricot and
glowing. And I love it,
this lush, fuzzy sliver
in which two people
once spread out
on damp sand
and loved one another."
"They knew how to mourn
with dignity,
my mother says.
It's the Calvinist way.
As if keening on your knees
were somehow obscene
As if there were a control
so marvelous
you could teach it
to eat pain."
"The skull
may flatten
the metal, but
the metal
will win. It
wedges in-
to the seat of
thought, uses
the pink tissue
as its envelope.
Two bullets:
one in front,
one in back
quickly speak.
They tell the heart
No more beats.
"The world is ours, but we walk in it
noticed."
"Her youth an aura like a
new haircut—just blatant,
raw, crushing. A headband
keeps her brown hair back;
her lips are parted slightly.
How she wants. How she
penetrates, her eyes set back
in her brow like my mother's,
like their father's: dark
obedient, devouring."
"Tomorrow: holds France, perhaps.
Pittsburgh, of course.
Loneliness, so what."
"The whole photo
is dreamy, as if washed
in milk, Jane's skin
a pale apricot and
glowing. And I love it,
this lush, fuzzy sliver
in which two people
once spread out
on damp sand
and loved one another."
"They knew how to mourn
with dignity,
my mother says.
It's the Calvinist way.
As if keening on your knees
were somehow obscene
As if there were a control
so marvelous
you could teach it
to eat pain."
"The skull
may flatten
the metal, but
the metal
will win. It
wedges in-
to the seat of
thought, uses
the pink tissue
as its envelope.
Two bullets:
one in front,
one in back
quickly speak.
They tell the heart
No more beats.
"The world is ours, but we walk in it
noticed."
dark
sad
medium-paced
An interesting approach to telling this tragic story. I think I did get a little lost with the format sometimes but overall was a good read.
Maggie Nelson is one of my favorite authors for a reason. Sure, there are some stumbling blocks in Jane-- some "what??" moments where I'm unsure what Nelson is trying to get at-- but all in all, this is a thrillingly quick and poignant read, and I am enamored with the almost spectral quality of its construction-- as if, at any moment, the small scraps of Jane's words could be lost to the oblivion of violent mystery burning a hole through Nelson's family's history. I can't wait to read the sequel-- The Red Parts. 7/10
Another book I devoured in one sitting. I guess being on break and quarantined leads to some great reading. I’ve always loved Maggie Nelson and her collections of poetry and essays. But this one is different! This is a story that is so obviously close to her heart and must’ve been such a difficult yet highly rewarding project for her and her family. I could feel that through the pages. The poetry was incredible, the clips from old newspapers made my stomach churn, and Jane’s diary entries made me tear up. I can just tell that Jane burned so brightly…I could feel her warmth through these pages.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book was so sad and heartbreaking! Although I will say, despite the tagline being "A Murder," it moreso tells the story of a life, several lives, and how they intertwine. It is a collage of lives, and quotes and diary entries, and poems, and it all comes together seamlessly.
Nelson is fr my favorite author glad I am alive and have eyes to read her writing. thankful
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence