Author: Emily Dickinson
Pages: 323
Genre: Poetry, Classic fiction
Book Description:
Considered by many to be the spiritual mother of American poetry, Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) was one of the most prolific and innovative poets of her era. Well-known for her reclusive personal life in Amherst, Massachusetts, her distinctively short lines, and eccentric approach to punctuation and capitalization, she completed over seventeen hundred poems in her short life. Though fewer than a dozen of her poems were actually published during her lifetime, she is still one of the most widely read poets in the English language. Over one hundred of her best poems are collected here.
My Opinion:
I really enjoy reading poetry so I thought I'd give Emily Dickinson a go. I knew of some of her works and decided to explore by reading this collection of poems that I found online. It's split into four small collections; Life, Love, Nature and Time and Eternity. This was one of those books that I didn't read in one go, I came back to it here and there. So when I was in the poetry mood I would simply pick up this novel, read a couple of chapters, and put it down.
My favourite sections were the poems about Nature and Time/Eternity. Personally, I prefer darker poems that have more depth and that I can relate to more, so the poems in the Eternity section certainly fit this description while the Nature poems were more lighthearted and meaningful. The Chariot was my favourite poem. (The last quote I have written earlier on is from this poem)
I enjoyed this collection. It included poems about a range of topics so it was nice to just pick it up and read what I fancied. Although I didn't feel enticed to read the entire collection at once, I did find some nice quotes that really sum up moods I've felt in.
I think that with poetry, you either love it or you hate it. There isn't really an in-between. I liked some of the poems in here but the majority didn't connect with me or maybe they're just for someone with a different state of mind than I'm at. I prefer poets such as Edgar Allan Poe and Philip Larkin.
I would recommend this book if you enjoy reading poetry but you may benefit from it more if you're older/mature.
Favourite Quotes:
I measure every grief I meet with narrow, probing eyes-
I wonder if it weighs like mine, or has an easier size
~~~~
"Hope" is the thing with feathers-
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words-
And never stops - at all -
~~~~
Power is only pain, stranded, through discipline
~~~~
Forever - is composed of nows -
~~~~
I took power in my hand
And went against the world
~~~~
I see better in the dark
I do not need a light
~~~~
Who robbed the woods
Th trusting woods, the unsuspecting trees
I do not need a light
~~~~
Who robbed the woods
Th trusting woods, the unsuspecting trees
~~~~
They dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars
Like petals from a rose
~~~~
Because I could not stop for death,
He kindly stopped for me
They dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars
Like petals from a rose
~~~~
Because I could not stop for death,
He kindly stopped for me
Rating
★★★
3 out of 5 stars
Next book I'm going to review:
Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult
Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult
I like poetry, but agree that at times I am in the mood for different types of poems. I have read a little of Emily Dickinson's poems, so I may give these a try. I really liked the quotes you shared with us. I especially like the one about hope. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete~Jess
That's alright :) There were so many other quotes I wanted to add so I had to limit myself! This was a really good collection of poems though :)
DeleteI love Emily Dickinson!
ReplyDeleteThere's a book coming out next month that includes poems by Emily, and it's kind of a retelling of her life through a bunch of characters that I think you might enjoy. It's called When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez.
Erin @ The Hardcover Lover
OOOH I haven't heard of this! Thank you so much Erin for telling me, I'll keep a look out :)
DeleteYou're welcome! It's out next month, and it's definitely interesting. :)
Delete