Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda

4.04 AVERAGE

meyshka's profile picture

meyshka's review against another edition

4.0
challenging dark lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

aromalv's review against another edition

4.0
emotional reflective fast-paced
ardentlydarling's profile picture

ardentlydarling's review against another edition

5.0
emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced
this has to be my second or third poetry book in my entire life so i might not be the best reference as to my rating but the raw emotions i elicited from this book... it was poignant and heart-rendering. 

i have highlighted and bookmarked my favorite lines which i will rereading from time to time because i'll be writing it down in my 2025 journal. 

sjparker98's review against another edition

4.0
There’s something beautiful about a man being quite this dramatic over a hot woman (or indeed, various hot women). Something about Spanish poetry really hits a level of passion that doesn’t sit so well in English, and revisiting this collection with a higher level of understanding really helped to cement that. I can’t wait to return to them again as my level improves further. Some bits erred into machismo vibes, but only occasionally.

“Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.”
hwestenhofer's profile picture

hwestenhofer's review against another edition

4.0
I was honestly shocked that I haven't read this collection until now, & I'm only partially aware of if I've ever read Neruda before; however, he is a skillful poet, & this collection's title is brilliant. It's always challenging to rate an entire collection of poetry because you'll inevitably like some more than others, & that is the case with this text. There were some poems (like the twentieth love poem) that I adore, & there were others that were good but not favorites. I also wish that I could read & understand the original Spanish because I would undoubtedly reap more from them & probably enjoy them more. All in all, though, I highly recommend this collection, & there is no doubt as to why it is as esteemed as it is.
trav_earl's profile picture

trav_earl's review against another edition

5.0
challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

jane710's review against another edition

5.0
hell yeah, i loved it and especially “i like for you to be still”
inoshiro's profile picture

inoshiro's review against another edition

4.5
emotional inspiring reflective sad

annamariamoldovan's review against another edition

I am so not into poetry but this was genius!
wijerats's profile picture

wijerats's review against another edition

3.0
dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced