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fourfootedbeasts's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
shaniquekee's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this mixed-form collection about Lucy Negro, and her possible links to Shakespeare's sonnets
shaunnow38's review against another edition
5.0
Splendid! Sublime! An absolutely wonderful project! A reshaping of the historical narrative worthy of the highest praise!
Exclamations aside, Caroline Randall Williams has produced something great here. Her recovering and recasting of Lucy Negro/Black Luce as Shakespeare's "Black Lady" is something to sit with, to let consume you. Williams does a lot of work here writing poetry that is affective, formally interesting, and moving in more ways than one (consider the ballet notes appended to this particular addition as an indicator of that). At times bluesy and jazzy (downright musical always), other times quiet and introspective (augmented by the beautiful typography and usage of the blank page) Williams has created a poem that can speak to multiple hearts and minds in a way that interrogates the complicated legacy of Shakespeare, his sonnets, and their interpretation.
There are a number of really excellent poems here that could stand and exemplify the project as a whole, but I really feel the collection benefits reading altogether more than others. Williams has many poems that speak not only to us, but to one another. She builds a narrative that, while not linear and not always straightforward, charts a wonderful pathway through her own encounter with Black Luce in the archive, in Shakespeare's poetry, and in herself. The book is mobile and alluring, pulling a reader further and further into the journey - allowing encounters with Shakespeare, his theater, the archive, and Black Luce.
I would recommend this highly to anyone who is interested in poetry (experimental or otherwise, contemporary or otherwise, this collection checks a lot of boxes), as well as those enthusiasts of Shakespeare's sonnets specifically. There is a lusciousness of meaning and feeling to some of these poems that strikes me as reminiscent of the most generous readings of Shakespeare's writing. Moreover, I recommend this to readers who are interested in African-American literature as a field and as a reality. Much of the language and imagery that Williams is working with is not strictly from Shakespearean times, but is really fundamentally based in the black experience in America. Williams' recognition of Black Luce is not an English one, but an American one, fundamentally charged with sorrow and beauty.
My own favorite portions of the book come with the interludes where Williams describes her process of searching for Black Luce, in the archive or in Shakespeare, and only being able to "definitively" piece together some circumstantial evidence that links Shakespeare tangentially to her. There is still this longing, this feeling of intuitive knowledge and hope that drives forward the search that I find compelling and beautiful. It structures the poetry around it quite beautifully, and provides a compelling story to latch on to for those who find themselves lost in the splendor of Williams' carefully wrought language.
Exclamations aside, Caroline Randall Williams has produced something great here. Her recovering and recasting of Lucy Negro/Black Luce as Shakespeare's "Black Lady" is something to sit with, to let consume you. Williams does a lot of work here writing poetry that is affective, formally interesting, and moving in more ways than one (consider the ballet notes appended to this particular addition as an indicator of that). At times bluesy and jazzy (downright musical always), other times quiet and introspective (augmented by the beautiful typography and usage of the blank page) Williams has created a poem that can speak to multiple hearts and minds in a way that interrogates the complicated legacy of Shakespeare, his sonnets, and their interpretation.
There are a number of really excellent poems here that could stand and exemplify the project as a whole, but I really feel the collection benefits reading altogether more than others. Williams has many poems that speak not only to us, but to one another. She builds a narrative that, while not linear and not always straightforward, charts a wonderful pathway through her own encounter with Black Luce in the archive, in Shakespeare's poetry, and in herself. The book is mobile and alluring, pulling a reader further and further into the journey - allowing encounters with Shakespeare, his theater, the archive, and Black Luce.
I would recommend this highly to anyone who is interested in poetry (experimental or otherwise, contemporary or otherwise, this collection checks a lot of boxes), as well as those enthusiasts of Shakespeare's sonnets specifically. There is a lusciousness of meaning and feeling to some of these poems that strikes me as reminiscent of the most generous readings of Shakespeare's writing. Moreover, I recommend this to readers who are interested in African-American literature as a field and as a reality. Much of the language and imagery that Williams is working with is not strictly from Shakespearean times, but is really fundamentally based in the black experience in America. Williams' recognition of Black Luce is not an English one, but an American one, fundamentally charged with sorrow and beauty.
My own favorite portions of the book come with the interludes where Williams describes her process of searching for Black Luce, in the archive or in Shakespeare, and only being able to "definitively" piece together some circumstantial evidence that links Shakespeare tangentially to her. There is still this longing, this feeling of intuitive knowledge and hope that drives forward the search that I find compelling and beautiful. It structures the poetry around it quite beautifully, and provides a compelling story to latch on to for those who find themselves lost in the splendor of Williams' carefully wrought language.
arcookson's review against another edition
5.0
This exiat sayeth that
"dreaming is a truth that happened only to the soul."
This book is a piece of art and was one of my favorite reads in April. Poetry, sonnets, Shakespeare, ballet, the voices of Black women, returning the stories to those hidden, overwritten, or excised from history. I deeply regret I was not able to see the performance of Attitude: Lucy Negro Redux at the Nashville Ballet.
Caroline Randall Williams is brilliant and I'm excited to see what she does next.
Also, thank you to Caitlin Parker who did the design and layout for this book. It's one of the most beautiful perfect book covers I've seen.
"dreaming is a truth that happened only to the soul."
This book is a piece of art and was one of my favorite reads in April. Poetry, sonnets, Shakespeare, ballet, the voices of Black women, returning the stories to those hidden, overwritten, or excised from history. I deeply regret I was not able to see the performance of Attitude: Lucy Negro Redux at the Nashville Ballet.
Caroline Randall Williams is brilliant and I'm excited to see what she does next.
Also, thank you to Caitlin Parker who did the design and layout for this book. It's one of the most beautiful perfect book covers I've seen.
pyrrhicspondee's review
5.0
Remember the NYTimes op-ed that began with “I have rape-colored skin”? That was also by Caroline Randall Williams. If I could convince you to buy just one book of poetry this quarter, it would be this one. I fucking LOVED this book. It does all the things that I love: plays with language (including antiquated language), tells a weird story, reimagines history, blends past and present, talks dirty, includes some metanarrative.
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