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toniclark's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this in 2002 and am rereading it this year (5 stars, both then and now). Some of the poems are so familiar to me, I could almost recite them. I’ve read them often over the years. Addonizio will always be one of my favorite poets. In this, one of her early collections (maybe the first?), she speaks for my inner bad girl, the one I long ago banished, but who can’t be entirely locked away. These are poems of love and longing, of bars and booze and breakups. They’re passionate and confrontational, gritty and gutsy and in your face. Poems that drag the reader into the scene, rather than just present the scene for the reader to consider in passing. Some of my favorites: “Therapy,” “The Divorcée and Gin,” “Collapsing Poem,” “Ranchos de Taos, August,” “Spill," and “Affair.”
marireadstoomuch's review against another edition
3.0
A bit strangely, I found these poems to be a bit dated, which felt unusual for poetry like this.
egilmore's review against another edition
4.0
3.5. Kim Addonizio is a fairly formulaic poet. Read one of her poems and you’ve read many of them.
Her poems usually wander in a style reminiscent of Frank O’hara, then crescendo in the last few lines to a surprisingly powerful and satisfying conclusion. She writes a lot about urban life, drinking, aging, sex, and motherhood. Her poetry often presents melancholy as a kind of frenzy and malaise as the product of an incessant, unrestrained thirst. It’s gritty and accessible and loose. She reimagines Beat poetry (a male-dominated space) as a confessional style of feminist freedom. In this way her poems are political, even though they rarely discuss politics explicitly (Vietnam vet lovers withstanding.)
Taken one at a time, Addonizio’s poems can be completely absorbing and cathartic. There is a reason “To the Woman Crying Uncontrollably…” went viral a few years ago. Taken as a collection, it can get a bit old. This collection is no exception, and also has some dated allusions that are casually - and likely unintentionally- racist/insensitive/imperialist. I also wish she had more women in these poems, besides the occasional one about her mother or daughter and a (sadly often dehumanized) sex worker.
Still, I know about half the poems in this book (non-problematic ones) are pieces I’ll love coming back to as slice-of-life stand-alones.
Her poems usually wander in a style reminiscent of Frank O’hara, then crescendo in the last few lines to a surprisingly powerful and satisfying conclusion. She writes a lot about urban life, drinking, aging, sex, and motherhood. Her poetry often presents melancholy as a kind of frenzy and malaise as the product of an incessant, unrestrained thirst. It’s gritty and accessible and loose. She reimagines Beat poetry (a male-dominated space) as a confessional style of feminist freedom. In this way her poems are political, even though they rarely discuss politics explicitly (Vietnam vet lovers withstanding.)
Taken one at a time, Addonizio’s poems can be completely absorbing and cathartic. There is a reason “To the Woman Crying Uncontrollably…” went viral a few years ago. Taken as a collection, it can get a bit old. This collection is no exception, and also has some dated allusions that are casually - and likely unintentionally- racist/insensitive/imperialist. I also wish she had more women in these poems, besides the occasional one about her mother or daughter and a (sadly often dehumanized) sex worker.
Still, I know about half the poems in this book (non-problematic ones) are pieces I’ll love coming back to as slice-of-life stand-alones.
revmegankelly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Among other things, I loved how imaginative these poems managed to be while also being so relatable & human. Fantastic book.
gabbiebrandt's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this one! Her voice is so unique and powerful, and her imagery is so well developed. It’s rare to find a poetry collection that is so honest and raw without being off-putting. I need to find more of her work!
elanakw's review against another edition
5.0
Only Kim can capture the complexities of feminine power, desire and desperation like this.