Scan barcode
lesbiangrandpa's review against another edition
5.0
Ross Gay, I love you so much. I almost wept at least three times.
futurama1979's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a huge fan of gardening, of loving thy neighbor, and of poems that span multiple pages. If you are too, you've got to read this collection.
I don't read much poetry - criminal, I know - not because I don't love it, but because it tends to slip under my radar. I've been trying to get into the habit of reading more of it, and the brightly colored joyful cover of this collection pulled me to pick it up. Sometimes, those "well, I guess I'll try it" books have a huge payoff, and this collection was one of those times.
The imagery Gay uses is incredible- colorful, jubilant, even grotesque at times. Pair that with content that had me tearing up not once but twice, which never happens for me with poetry, and a sense of community, love, and, of course, gratitude, and you've got a hint at how good this collection is. A quick read, and one well worth every minute spent on it.
I don't read much poetry - criminal, I know - not because I don't love it, but because it tends to slip under my radar. I've been trying to get into the habit of reading more of it, and the brightly colored joyful cover of this collection pulled me to pick it up. Sometimes, those "well, I guess I'll try it" books have a huge payoff, and this collection was one of those times.
The imagery Gay uses is incredible- colorful, jubilant, even grotesque at times. Pair that with content that had me tearing up not once but twice, which never happens for me with poetry, and a sense of community, love, and, of course, gratitude, and you've got a hint at how good this collection is. A quick read, and one well worth every minute spent on it.
a0ri's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
4.75
What a singular, unbelievable book of poetry
nattyyllie's review
3.0
(3.5 star)
Favorite poems/quotes:
ode to buttoning and unbuttoning my shirt
“and the honeybee’s legs furred with pollen mean another thing to me than on the other days which too have been drizzled in this simplest of joys”
burial
“when he knew he could make you happy just by being a little silly and sweet.”
spoon
“Don peered at me again with those sad eyes, or through me, or into me, the way my dead do sometimes, looking straight into their homes, which hopefully have flowers in a vase on a big wooden table, and a comfortable chair or two, and huge windows through which light pours to wash clean and make a touch less awful what forever otherwise will hurt.”
the opening
“the way Myself had made unwittingly a habit of slathering mortar everywhere, almost by accident, for fear of what might forever slip in and be felt;”
catalog of unabashed gratitude
“what do you think this singing and shuddering is, what this screaming and reaching and dancing and crying is, other than loving what every second goes away?”
Favorite poems/quotes:
ode to buttoning and unbuttoning my shirt
“and the honeybee’s legs furred with pollen mean another thing to me than on the other days which too have been drizzled in this simplest of joys”
burial
“when he knew he could make you happy just by being a little silly and sweet.”
spoon
“Don peered at me again with those sad eyes, or through me, or into me, the way my dead do sometimes, looking straight into their homes, which hopefully have flowers in a vase on a big wooden table, and a comfortable chair or two, and huge windows through which light pours to wash clean and make a touch less awful what forever otherwise will hurt.”
the opening
“the way Myself had made unwittingly a habit of slathering mortar everywhere, almost by accident, for fear of what might forever slip in and be felt;”
catalog of unabashed gratitude
“what do you think this singing and shuddering is, what this screaming and reaching and dancing and crying is, other than loving what every second goes away?”
katharina90's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Wanted to like this more than I did. I appreciated the language, and the humor alongside the more serious notes. What I struggled with most was the poet's meandering style.
Favorites:
-burial
-sharing with the ants
-to the mulberry tree
Favorites:
-burial
-sharing with the ants
-to the mulberry tree
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death
Minor: Ableism, Murder, and Racial slurs