A review by dejnozkova
Poems by Elizabeth Bishop

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

I love how Elizabeth Bishop paints pictures in your mind; her descriptions are so precise and honest that you can feel you’re standing where she stood. She’s not a grandiose or overly romantic, flowery poet but an observant realist who sees and appreciates things as they are. While many of her poems express melancholy over loss and memory they’re not exactly self-pitying or tragic? They’re reflective, more as lessons learned and realities to be accepted, however sad they may be. At other times she isolates joy in the little things, fishes and sunrises and maps and travel, slowing down life’s small moments so the reader can meditate on them with her. Reading Bishop is therapeutic and makes you feel well-traveled and well-lived.