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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
dark
slow-paced
An absolutely cursed take on nature. Oliver has a very settler colonial view of American land and nature, sometimes even perverse.
Mid book she pivots to even more boring pastures, dead white men. Her meditation on old dead poets is so boring & nothing critical or interesting is said. I care not for what one old poet thinks about another old dead poet.
I really thought I'd like this as I'm forgiving when it comes to nature essays but this is some dry mummified stuff.
Mid book she pivots to even more boring pastures, dead white men. Her meditation on old dead poets is so boring & nothing critical or interesting is said. I care not for what one old poet thinks about another old dead poet.
I really thought I'd like this as I'm forgiving when it comes to nature essays but this is some dry mummified stuff.
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
This collection of essays, which I bought half for the author and half for the cover let's be honest, stems from Mary Oliver's deep-rooted love for the natural world. She casts a wonder-filled gaze around here and notices the minutiae of animal & vegetal life with a delight that is quite communicative, and interlaces her observations with thoughts on creativity in general and writing in particular. Some essays are dedicated to writers she admires (Emerson, Poe, Wordsworth, Whitman), blending the factual with her personal reading of their works. I think Mary Oliver could write about almost anything and make it an enjoyable experience, but I did have a hard time with her descriptions of animal pain & death and her reverence for a writer who married his 13-year-old cousin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Minor: Child abuse
challenging
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I love how she speaks and the new england transcedentalists are my favourite vibe. the nature and the cadence is insane. i always feel so good reading mary oliver, i love her, i'd do anything. absolute love of my life.
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
I enjoyed these essays, I really liked The Ponds, The Bright Eyes of Eleonora: Poe's Dream of Recapturing the Impossible, Some Thoughts on Whitman, Swoon, and Winter Hours. Very enjoyable essays overall.
Language is so highly romanticized it feels like nothing of substance is actually being said. Felt pretentious, out of touch, and not engaging.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
so good!! first part in particular was exactly the sort of thing that made me fall in love with Annie Dillard's writing. I like when someone who I can tell is a genius tells me about a cool bug they saw or a nice walk they went on, and how it made them think about infinitude, the meaning of life, etc. Specifically when they tell me about it in a way that is so beautiful and evocative and sometimes just a bit over my head.
I also really liked the essays on work and on literature
I also really liked the essays on work and on literature