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cristella's review against another edition
4.0
Gripping biography of the poet. Dense, yet made compelling by Middlebrook's inclusion of the point of view of Sexton's psychiatrist's tapes.
mehitabels's review against another edition
4.0
"I am torn in two, but I will conquer myself. I will take scissors and cut out the beggar. I will take a crowbar and pry out the broken pieces of God in me."
blakehalsey's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating story, Middlebrook weaves together many sources to form a fair and cohesive telling of the disturbed Sexton.
katiehuntington's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
A powerful, thorough portrayal of a brilliant (and brilliantly troubled) poet. Middlebrook neither shirks from nor sensationalizes the realities of Sexton’s illness. Though the use of Sexton’s therapy tapes is problematic and unethical at best, Middlebrook employs this material carefully and considerately. Sexton’s work was so deeply intertwined with her psychotherapy that it would be difficult to truly understand her without exploring this enormous facet of her creative life. Despite her often inexcusable behavior towards those around her, I felt very tender towards Sexton by the time I finished this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Sexism
mxjoebest's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
davenash's review against another edition
5.0
Biographies often inflate their subject or focus on the sensational aspects. The sensational aspects of the subject, mentioned in the book blurb - the incest, the infidelities, the psychiatrist tapes are not the focus of the book. The incest is hedged and takes up just a few pages. The infidelity was an open secret. The author explains at the beginning that initially she thought she'd use the tapes more than she ended up. None of these things are new, they are all Sexton's poems.
I typically don't read introductions written by another person than the author, but the interest in the tapes led me to read the introduction writen by Sexton's first psychiatrist, Dr. Orne. He offers a very well written assessment of her mental illness.
With that out of the way, the author can focus on Sexton's evolution as a poet, performer, and teacher. In all three aspects, Sexton brought something new and deeply personal. Along the way, the author offers concise analysis of Sexton's watershed poems - poems that marked a new step in her growth or that supported those sensational claims.
I previously read Linda Sexton's memoir on her mother. As would be expected the biography is better researched, objective, and more factual. Despite being schooled as a poet, Linda doesn't offer much insight into her mom's poems, which she helped revise. Linda does offer more insight into the final year of Anne's life and her final affairs, but downplays and refutes the incest claims. This biography takes a February performance as the grand farewell and diminishes her final working lunch. Linda used another performance from October of the previous year to mark the beginning of the end. Her memoir made it sound like Sexton finished the galleys on her last book and then killed herself very dramatically. The biography has a longer build and makes her suicide more premeditated. Considering that biography came first, I think it is a much better source both factually, as could be expected, and narratively, it's better written.
I read this book along side Sexton's poems - moving in chronological order. The problem that the biography doesn't solve is the flurry manuscripts published near the end of Sexton's life - The Book of Folly and The Death Notebooks following on the heels of Transformations do not get their due. Neither does the Awful Rowing or her other posthumous works. The author regards Love Poems and Transformations as her two best works and the works that followed as the beginnings of her decline and not her best. Whereas To Bedlam and Part Way Back and All My Pretty Ones received attention because they demonstrated Sexton's formation and maturation, her later works receive little attention, so it is difficult to appreciate either their craftsmanship or Sexton's decline.
I typically don't read introductions written by another person than the author, but the interest in the tapes led me to read the introduction writen by Sexton's first psychiatrist, Dr. Orne. He offers a very well written assessment of her mental illness.
With that out of the way, the author can focus on Sexton's evolution as a poet, performer, and teacher. In all three aspects, Sexton brought something new and deeply personal. Along the way, the author offers concise analysis of Sexton's watershed poems - poems that marked a new step in her growth or that supported those sensational claims.
I previously read Linda Sexton's memoir on her mother. As would be expected the biography is better researched, objective, and more factual. Despite being schooled as a poet, Linda doesn't offer much insight into her mom's poems, which she helped revise. Linda does offer more insight into the final year of Anne's life and her final affairs, but downplays and refutes the incest claims. This biography takes a February performance as the grand farewell and diminishes her final working lunch. Linda used another performance from October of the previous year to mark the beginning of the end. Her memoir made it sound like Sexton finished the galleys on her last book and then killed herself very dramatically. The biography has a longer build and makes her suicide more premeditated. Considering that biography came first, I think it is a much better source both factually, as could be expected, and narratively, it's better written.
I read this book along side Sexton's poems - moving in chronological order. The problem that the biography doesn't solve is the flurry manuscripts published near the end of Sexton's life - The Book of Folly and The Death Notebooks following on the heels of Transformations do not get their due. Neither does the Awful Rowing or her other posthumous works. The author regards Love Poems and Transformations as her two best works and the works that followed as the beginnings of her decline and not her best. Whereas To Bedlam and Part Way Back and All My Pretty Ones received attention because they demonstrated Sexton's formation and maturation, her later works receive little attention, so it is difficult to appreciate either their craftsmanship or Sexton's decline.