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decaying's review
3.0
enjoyed this short collection of poems! the illustrations that came with some of the poems were also interesting to see. there's almost a voyeuristic quality to most of these poems where some of them are vivid descriptions of these different people living different lives. i love how they have a bigger than life quality to them too.
kbuchanan's review against another edition
4.0
Anyone who has read Barnes's superb and dizzying "Nightwood" knows the alien spell that she is capable of casting over a reader. It is clear from this volume that Barnes's poems are no different. Earthy and fleshy, yet somehow also preserving a certain sense of removal that lets us glimpse the subjects as somewhat of a voyeur. This feeling causes both discomfort and fascination, an edge which this great writer of the Left Bank walks with the poise of no other. This version holds particularly fond memories, as it was purchased from Shakespeare and Co. in Paris.
leadabird's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
firstiteration's review
4.0
I've been meaning to read Djuna Barnes for years but have been terribly lazy about it. So when I learned she wrote a short poem/art book, I figured that would be the ideal (easy) way to start reading her.
The Book of Repulsive Women - what a great title! I think it's something that would resonate with most women. At some point in all of our lives we've been told that we are repulsive, often for not acting as women are told we should. It's also an interesting title because of its relationships to the poems or "rhythms" themselves. We can think of women Barnes describes as being supposedly repulsive, as well as the woman who is describing them and wanting them. It does a good job of evoking the struggle of being a woman sexually attracted to other women in a world that tells you it's not right, while never outright saying this.
Although the rhythms are very basic in terms of their structure, I think they are very well written. There is something easy and playful about them, while at the same time they do that great thing poems do and tell you a lot more through their juxtaposition and images. They get better the more I read them.
The drawings are strange and well-suited to the rhythms. Overall, it's a great little collection. I just wish it was longer.
The Book of Repulsive Women - what a great title! I think it's something that would resonate with most women. At some point in all of our lives we've been told that we are repulsive, often for not acting as women are told we should. It's also an interesting title because of its relationships to the poems or "rhythms" themselves. We can think of women Barnes describes as being supposedly repulsive, as well as the woman who is describing them and wanting them. It does a good job of evoking the struggle of being a woman sexually attracted to other women in a world that tells you it's not right, while never outright saying this.
Although the rhythms are very basic in terms of their structure, I think they are very well written. There is something easy and playful about them, while at the same time they do that great thing poems do and tell you a lot more through their juxtaposition and images. They get better the more I read them.
The drawings are strange and well-suited to the rhythms. Overall, it's a great little collection. I just wish it was longer.
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