Reviews

Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams

Only show reviews with written explanations

alguien's review against another edition

reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

No pido que sientan pena por mí, sólo que me comprendan… Ni siquiera eso… no. Sólo que se reconozcan en mí y que reconozcan al enemigo, el tiempo, en todos nosotros.

yena3199's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

rbk28's review

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dark emotional reflective

2.0

paigefullilove's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is William's meditation on aging, and its about as bleak and unrelenting as you could imagine. He offers a stark picture of what it's like to lose the illusions, the hope, and the romance of youth. And in its place? Perhaps, there is something in recognition and understanding, but its not much.

The characters, as always, seem like variations on other Williams staples I have seen, most notably with Boss Finley being a kind of riff on Big Daddy from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Here, I can't say that I like any of them, but I did find Chance and the Princess compelling.

Also, written later, this play deals openly with some things that other plays only hinted at: venereal disease, violence, gigiloism (is that a word?), etc... There is definitely a raw power to dealing with these things openly. And yet, I feel like something is lost with the openness. I never thought that Williams was hiding anything. But there was a beauty that came along with his power when he was forced to treat his subjects with a dash of subtlety.

baileewalsh's review against another edition

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3.0

The three plays in this collection are Sweet Bird of Youth, Period of Adjustment, and Night of the Iguana. Each I would rate between a 3/5 and 3.5/5, or at least somewhere in the 3s. They all were a good mix of things I liked along side things I wasn't into. Maybe this is partially because it was the last one I read, but I think Period of Adjustment is my favorite of the three.