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rebekahvldz's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Definitely not my favorite from Mary Oliver. Felt like she never really got inside this form of writing the way she could poetry. Seemingly random collection of essays and reviews of authors with the uniting theme being transcendentalism.
I skipped a lot of the first section as I was put off by her narrowing in on sexual aspects in and with nature.
The fourth section was the most enjoyable- I particularly loved "Bird" and "Ropes" which leads me to believe that Oliver is at her best when she is sentimental and humanizing herself. I also loved the sparse insights about the changing landscape of Provincetown and found myself wishing for more of that.
I'm still not sure what to make of section three. The way she wrote about her favorite authors was so detached and formal that it felt out of place for someone so passionate and prosaic, especially amongst essays adoring and admiring nature. You can even note the difference between her tone in "My Friend Whitman" from section one to "Some Thoughts on Whitman" in section three. The former was one of my favorites from this collection and had she employed that storytelling voice instead of conducting an academic-sounding survey, I would have believed her and enjoyed the book much more.
In short, I am just a little confused at this collection and a lot underwhelmed.
I skipped a lot of the first section as I was put off by her narrowing in on sexual aspects in and with nature.
The fourth section was the most enjoyable- I particularly loved "Bird" and "Ropes" which leads me to believe that Oliver is at her best when she is sentimental and humanizing herself. I also loved the sparse insights about the changing landscape of Provincetown and found myself wishing for more of that.
I'm still not sure what to make of section three. The way she wrote about her favorite authors was so detached and formal that it felt out of place for someone so passionate and prosaic, especially amongst essays adoring and admiring nature. You can even note the difference between her tone in "My Friend Whitman" from section one to "Some Thoughts on Whitman" in section three. The former was one of my favorites from this collection and had she employed that storytelling voice instead of conducting an academic-sounding survey, I would have believed her and enjoyed the book much more.
In short, I am just a little confused at this collection and a lot underwhelmed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Spiderskashby's review against another edition
reflective
5.0
i read this on a cobblestone path in a forest and it was the best thing ive ever experienced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Sexual content
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