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losethegirl's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
I loved the last piece I read by Rita Dove, but this wasn't for me.
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful collection of poems, some directly correlating to the title, "Grace Notes." Indeed, Dove covers topics from old folks in a nursing home to sex talks with her daughter, from an atheist confessing of her disbelief to her lover to grieving the death of a loved one. The subjects are daring, raw, evocatively depicted.
Some of her poems left unaddressed issues with me after reading. "Horse and Tree," for instance, made broad statements and did not fully embrace or marry the two images like the first stanza intimated it would. I found it hard to digest that a three-year-old would probe her mother every month about periods in "After Reading. ..." Some enjambments were jarring, though others were beautiful.
My favorite line in this book comes from "Your Death": "and the day changed ownership." The idea of death sanctifying a day, claiming every detail and aspect of a day, so beautifully depicted in the scene of shopping at Bloomingdale's; even eating a sandwich is hijacked by death. Rita Dove gives her reader much to mull over.
Some of her poems left unaddressed issues with me after reading. "Horse and Tree," for instance, made broad statements and did not fully embrace or marry the two images like the first stanza intimated it would. I found it hard to digest that a three-year-old would probe her mother every month about periods in "After Reading. ..." Some enjambments were jarring, though others were beautiful.
My favorite line in this book comes from "Your Death": "and the day changed ownership." The idea of death sanctifying a day, claiming every detail and aspect of a day, so beautifully depicted in the scene of shopping at Bloomingdale's; even eating a sandwich is hijacked by death. Rita Dove gives her reader much to mull over.
lottpoet's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
keondra's review against another edition
i had to rush through this one in order to return it to the library but i was not moved by anything i read. it seems like a work that needs to be sat with, so i won’t rate it based on my quick read. there were a couple of lines that jumped out like “if you can’t be free, be a mystery” from Canary but not enough for me to want to revisit
sidrajaved's review
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
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