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james1star's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a very decent poetry collection and for sure recommend giving this is a read. It’s also my first work by Carol Ann Duffy but is certainly not the last. In it, she presents short tales (1-3 pages for most) of famous women in mythology and history (like Circe or Medusa), the wives of men (like Mrs Aesop or Pygmalion’s bride) real or imagined, and then female versions of men (like Pope Joan or Queen Kong). It’s very original and I love how Duffy infused humour and wit to in many ways make fun of these men of mythology/history but also giving the woman more agency which was fun. There’s also other meanings, undertones and subtleties which are embedded very well too. Obviously I preferred some more then others but overall I found it a solid 4 star read. My favourite poem was for sure ‘The Kray Sisters’ which took the legend of the twins but they’re sisters and they stroll London’s East End keeping women safe and just wow I loved it!! The two shortest were also really great which I’ll post here:
Mrs Darwin
‘7 April 1852
Went to the Zoo.
I said to Him -
Something about you that Chimpanzee over there reminds me of you.’
Mrs Icarus
‘I’m not the first or the last
to stand on a hillock,
watching the man she married
prove to the world
he’s a total, utter, absolute, Grade A pillock.’
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, and Death
obfuscatress's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Murder, and Death
angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Original. Inventive. Funny. Dark. Emotive. These and many more feelings are provoked through the voices of the characters that are within the anthology such as Mrs Beast, Queen Kong, and Frau Freud. Duffy draws inspiration from various stories in fiction and life but subverts them with some contemporary twists. The choices that Duffy makes in regards to tempo, rhythms and rhymes really add to the narrative of each piece and make for the poetry to be that much more enjoyable.
I’ve found this to be quite difficult to critique but I would say that I definitely had some favourites within the anthology and some poems that I didn’t enjoy as much. I also found that some of the poems felt a little bit repetitive as can be the case when it comes to conveying very similar messages with the only difference being the female voice that is expressing them.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
I’ve found this to be quite difficult to critique but I would say that I definitely had some favourites within the anthology and some poems that I didn’t enjoy as much. I also found that some of the poems felt a little bit repetitive as can be the case when it comes to conveying very similar messages with the only difference being the female voice that is expressing them.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Cursing
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