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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
reflective
slow-paced
I think I would read Mary Oliver’s grocery lists if those were published. Her writing is so full of vitality and reverence. I found that regardless of whether the topic of a given essay resonated with me, the worldview she invited me to inhabit was a balm. Her respect and attention for nature generally comes off the page as peaceful and reflective, and while some images were more jarring or disturbing, they didn’t detract from the sense of wonder her descriptive passages kindle in me.
Because I love her nature and memoir writing so much, her writings on other writers were my less favorite of this collection, but I plan to revisit them when I’m not specifically seeking out her more naturalistic work. I do love reading writers’ descriptions of other writers, and those essays also reminded me of how much I loved Whitman and Emerson as a teenager. I’m looking forward to revisiting their work soon too. While I highlighted beautiful passages in every essay in Upstream, the title essay will probably remain my favorite.
Because I love her nature and memoir writing so much, her writings on other writers were my less favorite of this collection, but I plan to revisit them when I’m not specifically seeking out her more naturalistic work. I do love reading writers’ descriptions of other writers, and those essays also reminded me of how much I loved Whitman and Emerson as a teenager. I’m looking forward to revisiting their work soon too. While I highlighted beautiful passages in every essay in Upstream, the title essay will probably remain my favorite.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
I was experiencing intense anxiety and this book genuinely took it all away. Mary Oliver makes you feel so seen and makes everything you're feeling a universal truth, one that is not so serious when compared to the beauty and wonder of the world.
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
In 2016, my local library just got in a new copy of this book, and its colorful spine caught my eye. I pulled the book from the shelf. The lush forestscape on the cover moved something deep within me. At this time, I could not yet identify this feeling. This was my first encounter with Mary Oliver. However, I put the book back in its respective place, vowing to return when the time was right.
Three years later, I’m in the mood for poetry, and I dive right into Oliver’s bibliography, consuming and savoring every word like a rare delicacy, sometimes devouring voraciously when it becomes addicting. Right before beginning Upstream, I decide to look up her biography. She passed away earlier this year in January. She’s left quite the legacy, and I’m endlessly appreciative to read her work. I hope many others stumble across one of her books and feel somewhat different by the final page. Meanwhile, I continue to be enchanted and inspired by her musings of nature and poets.
Upstream may have been her goodbye, but for me, it was a hello, the start of a beautiful discovery.
Three years later, I’m in the mood for poetry, and I dive right into Oliver’s bibliography, consuming and savoring every word like a rare delicacy, sometimes devouring voraciously when it becomes addicting. Right before beginning Upstream, I decide to look up her biography. She passed away earlier this year in January. She’s left quite the legacy, and I’m endlessly appreciative to read her work. I hope many others stumble across one of her books and feel somewhat different by the final page. Meanwhile, I continue to be enchanted and inspired by her musings of nature and poets.
Upstream may have been her goodbye, but for me, it was a hello, the start of a beautiful discovery.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced