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irreverentreader's review
3.0
I've come to discover that it's really difficult to rate poetry and short story collections because they can be so variable! Unlike a novel, where you are just judging one cohesive story, it is a struggle to write one succinct review for so many styles, themes, and forms.
In trying to get back to poetry, I do think I've fallen out of love with it. In high school, verse was probably my favorite thing to read, but in my adult years, I'm firmly in love with prose. That being said, I picked up Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry because John Green quotes it so often, and since he is as much of an angsty human as I am, I thought it would be a good fit.
And it was...in places. This book is a sampling from all of Millay's works, and my favorite poems and lines came from the first three books that were sampled: Renaissance, Second April, and A Few Figs From Thistles. For me, these were her most emotive poems, ones that focused on her inner turmoil, ones I felt I could most relate to. Interestingly, they are her three earliest works.
The rest bogged me down in the things I don't much care for in poetry, describing nature, greek myth, epic verse. I would say about 70% of this book was just not for me. However, in the 30% I did like, I came out with two new favorites. The first is Spring; it just had such a great dose of ascorbic humor. The second is The Penitent, which really gets at the whole idea of "good girl" culture and how women should embrace turning from that role.
If nothing else, reading Millay's poetry made me turn to her Wiki page to learn more about her, and she is so fascinating. I would like to think of her as a missed friend from a bygone era.
In trying to get back to poetry, I do think I've fallen out of love with it. In high school, verse was probably my favorite thing to read, but in my adult years, I'm firmly in love with prose. That being said, I picked up Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry because John Green quotes it so often, and since he is as much of an angsty human as I am, I thought it would be a good fit.
And it was...in places. This book is a sampling from all of Millay's works, and my favorite poems and lines came from the first three books that were sampled: Renaissance, Second April, and A Few Figs From Thistles. For me, these were her most emotive poems, ones that focused on her inner turmoil, ones I felt I could most relate to. Interestingly, they are her three earliest works.
The rest bogged me down in the things I don't much care for in poetry, describing nature, greek myth, epic verse. I would say about 70% of this book was just not for me. However, in the 30% I did like, I came out with two new favorites. The first is Spring; it just had such a great dose of ascorbic humor. The second is The Penitent, which really gets at the whole idea of "good girl" culture and how women should embrace turning from that role.
If nothing else, reading Millay's poetry made me turn to her Wiki page to learn more about her, and she is so fascinating. I would like to think of her as a missed friend from a bygone era.
theconstantreader's review against another edition
5.0
This volume starts with 'Renascence' and it was in reading that poem that I discovered what is now my favourite poem. It made me cry.
Millay's poems are just so fun to read, they definitely made poetry far less intimidating then it appeared to me previously. What follows is a whole selection of poems containing the most delightful rhyming couplets and little dittys. Some deep, some light, all of them bursting with wit.
I wasn't taken as much by the sonnets but I think that's only because I love an easy and obvious rhyme. That said, I really enjoyed the play Millay wrote, Aria Da Capo, and thought it was such a lovely way for this volume to end.
Throughout much of the volume, Millay makes fun of all of us, reminding us that the grass is always greener in the most entertaining way that you can't help but get a kick out of yourself.
Millay's poems are just so fun to read, they definitely made poetry far less intimidating then it appeared to me previously. What follows is a whole selection of poems containing the most delightful rhyming couplets and little dittys. Some deep, some light, all of them bursting with wit.
I wasn't taken as much by the sonnets but I think that's only because I love an easy and obvious rhyme. That said, I really enjoyed the play Millay wrote, Aria Da Capo, and thought it was such a lovely way for this volume to end.
Throughout much of the volume, Millay makes fun of all of us, reminding us that the grass is always greener in the most entertaining way that you can't help but get a kick out of yourself.
andipants's review against another edition
4.0
Edna St. Vincent Millay was a fascinating and mercurial individual, and her poetry reflects that. Though occasionally tending toward the maudlin, her verses contain a lot of sharp wit, biting angst, dark humor, and even, occasionally, a ray of hope. This is the perfect collection to brood with on a stormy day or when nursing a broken heart.
oxfordcommaon's review
5.0
Would have given it 4 stars if not for “To S.M.” That poem is breathtaking. She was incredible!