Take a photo of a barcode or cover
leasockzoe 's review for:
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath
by Heather Clark
This book was stunning, breathtaking, dazzling, brilliant, marvelous, devastating, gorgeous, ravishing, remarkable, sensational, smashing, spectacular, striking, and just so damn good. (Thank you thersarus.com for those adjectives) Heather Clark is a true biographical master.
What I appreciated most about the book was Clark's respect for Plath & her story. I never got the sense that Clark had an obvious opinion about Plath that was guiding the book, there was no motive to shape her into the hysterical, mentally ill woman that she is so often portrayed as. Clark told the facts & that was it. She used interviews, Plath's personal journals, books, & other resources to craft this beautiful memoir about a woman that has made so many people, including myself, feel seen.
For being a 1000+ page book, I never wished for the ending to come. Actually, when it did end, I was sad. I felt like I had lost a friend. Clark tells the story of Plath's life in a way that feels like you are living it with her - even through all the heartache, happiness, and struggles. The pictures of her life in the book only add to this experience.
If you are Plath lover like I am, I can't recommend this book enough. And, if you are a person that only views her as the hysteric, mentally ill woman poet, then I urge you to read it even more. It made me appreciate her & the Bell Jar so much more. This experience made me happy, enraged, & broke my heart. I already have a fig tattoo from the Bell Jar, but this book made me want to get another dedicated to Plath. I will never stop talking about this book.
What I appreciated most about the book was Clark's respect for Plath & her story. I never got the sense that Clark had an obvious opinion about Plath that was guiding the book, there was no motive to shape her into the hysterical, mentally ill woman that she is so often portrayed as. Clark told the facts & that was it. She used interviews, Plath's personal journals, books, & other resources to craft this beautiful memoir about a woman that has made so many people, including myself, feel seen.
For being a 1000+ page book, I never wished for the ending to come. Actually, when it did end, I was sad. I felt like I had lost a friend. Clark tells the story of Plath's life in a way that feels like you are living it with her - even through all the heartache, happiness, and struggles. The pictures of her life in the book only add to this experience.
If you are Plath lover like I am, I can't recommend this book enough. And, if you are a person that only views her as the hysteric, mentally ill woman poet, then I urge you to read it even more. It made me appreciate her & the Bell Jar so much more. This experience made me happy, enraged, & broke my heart. I already have a fig tattoo from the Bell Jar, but this book made me want to get another dedicated to Plath. I will never stop talking about this book.