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A review by soinavoice
If I'm Scared We Can't Win by Sophie Collins, Emily Berry, Anne Carson
4.0
Five stars for Emily Berry, a new discovery whose work I will absolutely be buying. Phrases of hers have haunted me for weeks: "Stop. Language is crawling all over me." "Speech is a dark stain spreading." Filled with gorgeous and evocative imagery, yet also at times plain with a very modern, conversational kind of anxiety.
Anne Carson I was already a little familiar with--I found her stuff a very mixed bag. Some of it was a wonderful mix of beauty and cleverness. Standouts for me were "Short Talk on the Mona Lisa" ("women are strong. She knew vessels, she knew water, she knew mortal thirst.") and "By Chance the Cycladic People." Other pieces just failed to land entirely. Sophie Collins, too, was a mixed bag. Some of her stuff I found completely obscure, not in an Anne Carson sort of way where I felt I was missing a reference, but where I just plain didn't know what she was talking about, either on an intellectual level or on that sort of instinctive, affective level that so much good poetry functions on. There were a few poems that I quite enjoyed--"Healers," "A Course in Miracles," "Donegal," and "Bunnies"--and the rest I think are probably worth the second chance of a reread, but largely I didn't really connect, and her work lacked the flashes of beauty that I found in the other two poets.
Still, overall a great collection to which I know I'll be returning.
Anne Carson I was already a little familiar with--I found her stuff a very mixed bag. Some of it was a wonderful mix of beauty and cleverness. Standouts for me were "Short Talk on the Mona Lisa" ("women are strong. She knew vessels, she knew water, she knew mortal thirst.") and "By Chance the Cycladic People." Other pieces just failed to land entirely. Sophie Collins, too, was a mixed bag. Some of her stuff I found completely obscure, not in an Anne Carson sort of way where I felt I was missing a reference, but where I just plain didn't know what she was talking about, either on an intellectual level or on that sort of instinctive, affective level that so much good poetry functions on. There were a few poems that I quite enjoyed--"Healers," "A Course in Miracles," "Donegal," and "Bunnies"--and the rest I think are probably worth the second chance of a reread, but largely I didn't really connect, and her work lacked the flashes of beauty that I found in the other two poets.
Still, overall a great collection to which I know I'll be returning.