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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This is truly one of those books better read physically than listened to via audio. It demands presence, patience, understanding, and devotion—much like the subject at its core.
The story is fragmented and lyrical, blurring the lines between prose and poetry. With that comes moments of confusion, yes, but also great beauty. This is the kind of book that invites re-reading—lingering over lines, uncovering layers, circling back to make sense of something that first felt slippery. Had I known how poetic the structure would be, I likely wouldn’t have chosen the audiobook—I would have read it with a highlighter in hand, ready to admire and absorb it slowly.
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is a stunning portrayal of loss, longing, and the strange rituals of healing. For anyone who has experienced deep grief, the emotional truth here will resonate. It doesn’t try to explain grief—it lets it breathe, stumble, scream, and joke. The Crow, for me, was by far the most compelling character. A personification of grief, yes—but also something older, wilder: shrouded in myth, madness, and memory. He is chaos and comfort, menace and muse, and he speaks with the dark humour of something that has seen everything and survived it all.
This is certainly a book I will return to—perhaps around the anniversary of my mother’s passing. She would have appreciated the macabre, twisted sense of humour the Crow brings, as well as the emotional depth hidden beneath his feathers.
The story is fragmented and lyrical, blurring the lines between prose and poetry. With that comes moments of confusion, yes, but also great beauty. This is the kind of book that invites re-reading—lingering over lines, uncovering layers, circling back to make sense of something that first felt slippery. Had I known how poetic the structure would be, I likely wouldn’t have chosen the audiobook—I would have read it with a highlighter in hand, ready to admire and absorb it slowly.
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is a stunning portrayal of loss, longing, and the strange rituals of healing. For anyone who has experienced deep grief, the emotional truth here will resonate. It doesn’t try to explain grief—it lets it breathe, stumble, scream, and joke. The Crow, for me, was by far the most compelling character. A personification of grief, yes—but also something older, wilder: shrouded in myth, madness, and memory. He is chaos and comfort, menace and muse, and he speaks with the dark humour of something that has seen everything and survived it all.
This is certainly a book I will return to—perhaps around the anniversary of my mother’s passing. She would have appreciated the macabre, twisted sense of humour the Crow brings, as well as the emotional depth hidden beneath his feathers.
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
max porter is extremely clever obviously!!!! but I don’t like to feel like I should have read a primer on ted hughes’ life and work to understand a book
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
Moving on, as a concept, is for stupid people, because any sensible person knows grief is a long-term project. I refuse to rush. The pain that is thrust upon us let no man slow or speed or fix.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this but felt like I was looking for a bit more. An excellent exploration on literary style for themes of grief and loss, appreciated the effort, but was not as satisfying of a delivery as I had hoped. Still good.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated