Via Goodreads:The poems in this collection were all written in the last nine months of Sylvia Plath's life, and form part of the group from which the 'Ariel' poems were chosen. Her radio play 'Three Women', also included here, was written slightly earlier, in the transitional period between 'The Colossus' and 'Ariel'.

I am familiar with Plath's The Bell Jar and count it among my favourites. This was my first encounter with her poetry, and I wasn't thrilled. Except that one time I was.

The work is dark, reflective of the period leading up to her death, and at times feels disjointed. It's not unrelatable material, but it pushes the envelope of getting into the right headspace to appreciate it.

I liked enough of the pieces to warrant three stars. I disliked enough of the pieces that it barely warranted three stars.

All of that being said, Three Women, written to be read aloud, is five-freaking-stars all by itself. It is one I will read repeatedly, and that one piece alone is enough for me to recommend the book. You'll find a few others you like, or perhaps you'll like them all. Poetry is like that. Even I might like some more than others when reading through at a different time in my life.

Nothing in here is bad, but some of it is weaker than I would have expected.

Three Women more than makes up for it and will certainly pull me back through the pages to revisit other pieces.

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Created May 17, 2019 at 10:54pm • Submit your own review...