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eely225's review against another edition
3.0
A 3.5, rounded because while the ambition (explained in supplementary notes) is extraordinary, the execution is not necessarily something to which I'll return readily. This is an odd volume, the collected works of an author who wanted her works destroyed, who abandoned her literary life shortly after it started. Judged in that context, it is a picture of potential, of a deep thinker and (more importantly) a deep feeler, who felt too much and removed herself from the stage.
It is worth noting that the reader should be fully prepared to read the collection itself. In retrospect, I would advise reading the biographical section up front first, then skipping to the end to read the interviews and prose, and only then reading the poetry itself. Her work is dense, and if you can get some sense of the mindset she brought to it, it will be that much more readable.
Some poems stood out, and felt truly earned, but many were too obscure for me. Learning more about her motivation in the end notes cracked the door, but I still felt left adrift. I'd like to return to this someday, but probably not tomorrow.
It is worth noting that the reader should be fully prepared to read the collection itself. In retrospect, I would advise reading the biographical section up front first, then skipping to the end to read the interviews and prose, and only then reading the poetry itself. Her work is dense, and if you can get some sense of the mindset she brought to it, it will be that much more readable.
Some poems stood out, and felt truly earned, but many were too obscure for me. Learning more about her motivation in the end notes cracked the door, but I still felt left adrift. I'd like to return to this someday, but probably not tomorrow.
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