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emelynreads's review
dark
sad
3.5
My first poetry collection by Joyce Carol Oates. Knowing the author is from Lockport, NY also adds some extra layers understanding what the greater Buffalo area is like.
The rumination on the girl in the painting (Edward Hopper's Eleven AM, 1926) is so good and taps into my love for art interpretation. Art about art, what's not to love.
My other favorites were To Marlon Brando in Hell (sharp critique of his life), Doctor Help Me (abortion rights), Hometown Waiting For You (the gravitational force of your hometown) and Harvesting Skin (human rights violations in China).
The rumination on the girl in the painting (Edward Hopper's Eleven AM, 1926) is so good and taps into my love for art interpretation. Art about art, what's not to love.
My other favorites were To Marlon Brando in Hell (sharp critique of his life), Doctor Help Me (abortion rights), Hometown Waiting For You (the gravitational force of your hometown) and Harvesting Skin (human rights violations in China).
persypie's review
3.0
“Old America has come home to die.”
This is my first poetry collection from Joyce Carol Oates and there were some lovely pieces in here.
This read also came at a surprisingly poignant time for me as I just finished watching The Zone of Interest yesterday (beautifully sad film). Her poems that were centered around the Holocaust hit a little extra hard today on the back of such a tough watch.
This is my first poetry collection from Joyce Carol Oates and there were some lovely pieces in here.
This read also came at a surprisingly poignant time for me as I just finished watching The Zone of Interest yesterday (beautifully sad film). Her poems that were centered around the Holocaust hit a little extra hard today on the back of such a tough watch.
aaronwhite's review
4.0
Poems mostly about America, and digging into painful subjects like the scientific torture of animals and psychological torment of humans; the lost beauty and potential of Marlon Brando; the reasoning behind abortion; the brutal seeming necessity of pain in order to create beauty; and the hospice death of a husband. These poems are sad but beautiful.
abbeyreinhart's review
5.0
Quick, gripping read. Poems that flow off the pages. Thought provoking. Will return to read and study again.
alisarae's review
I submit to you that these poems are actually flash fiction and abbreviated essays.
gillianhagenus's review
2.0
Don't get me wrong, I love Joyce Carol Oates. She can do marvellous things with language and story, but this poetry collection just didn't hit for me. Can't put it down to much more than personal taste.
However, some standouts:
This is Not a Poem
The Blessing
Palliative
However, some standouts:
This is Not a Poem
The Blessing
Palliative