A new book of poetry from internationally acclaimed, award-winning and bestselling author Margaret Atwood
In Dearly, Margaret Atwood’s first collection of poetry in over a decade, Atwood addresses themes such as love, loss, the passage of time, the nature of nature and – zombies. Her new poetry is introspective and personal in tone, but wide-ranging in topic. In poem after poem, she casts her … In poem after poem, she casts her unique imagination and unyielding, observant eye over the landscape of a life carefully and intuitively lived.
While many are familiar with Margaret Atwood’s fiction—including her groundbreaking and bestselling novels The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, Oryx and Crake, among others—she has, from the beginning of her career, been one of our most significant contemporary poets. And she is one of the very few writers equally accomplished in fiction and poetry. This collection is a stunning achievement that will be appreciated by fans of her novels and poetry readers alike.
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POETRY FEATURE u2009
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DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE POET?u2009
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I have loved poetry since I was a teen, reading Emily Dickinson. Later, I discovered Sylvia Plath, Charles Bukowski and Walt Whitman. My all time favorites include Mary Oliver, Kay Ryan and R.M. Drake. Until recently, I had no idea Margaret Atwood even wrote poetry. I am so glad to have been introduced to her work, DEARLY. This amazing volume will be available u2009November 10, 2020. In the meantime, I will share my humble thoughts with you. Thank you @eccobooks @bibliolifestyle #partner for a complimentary copy! u2009
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REVIEW u2009
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I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own. u2009
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“You can wander away.
You can get lost.
Words can do that.”u2009
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You needn’t be a poetry lover to appreciate Margaret Atwood’s DEARLY. This volume is exceptional and accessible, rather than intimidating, to all readers. I read the poems slowly and deliberately, savoring each one and reflecting upon its meaning to me. u2009
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“You could get waylaid here, or slip amazed
into your tangled head. You could
just not come back.”
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The poems are, at times, urgent and grave, reminding me that each moment counts in this short space I occupy. At other times, the poems are spirited, absurd, wrapping zombies and aliens around bits of truth. Of course, I do have favorites among them, including Late Poems, Salt, Aflame, At The Translation Conference, Editorial Notes, Winter Vacations and Blackberries. But, it is the book’s namesake, Dearly, that tied my heart in knots and facilitated the tears. So. Many. Feelings. u2009
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“I miss the missing, those who left earlier.
I miss even those who are still here.
I miss you all dearly.
Dearly do I sorrow for you.”u2009
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Beautiful and beautiful and beautiful. You must read DEARLY to experience the full impact of each poem. I love this book, and I think others will, too. Margaret Atwood’s piercing words will forever stay with me.u2009
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Many years ago when I was in college, I enjoyed reading poetry but in the years since, I’ve read very little poetry. This book has changed my mind. I loved it. Like with any collection, some poems were just ok but the majority of these were fantastic and I really enjoyed reading them. Most of the poems are short and Atwood has chosen every word carefully to help not only the cadence of the poem but more importantly the underlying theme. Some of the poems made me smile and some of them made me cry but most of them made me think and feel. I was gifted this book in ebook format but plan to buy a copy in hardcover so that I can keep it on my bookshelf and read some of the poems over and over.
Don’t you love it when you stumble upon a phrase that just jolts you? Or makes you say “Yes!”? Or imparts a scene that’s as clear as a photograph? There are plenty of moments like that in this book of new poems by Margaret Atwood.
Dearly shows yet another reason this author is met with such acclaim, and she deserves it!!
My thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for allowing me to read a review copy of this book. Publication is set for 11/10/2020. All opinions expressed here are my own.
I can’t say that I connected with every single poem in this collection (I find that to be the case with most poetry collections), but some of the poems really cut through.
The eight poems in the Songs for Murdered Sisters part are so powerful, I kept going back to re-read them. Very simple, very powerful language to describe enormous tragedy.
There were also several sci-fi themed poems that captured my attention, like A Drone Scans the Wreckage, and The Aliens Arrive. In some way, these poems feel like a reflection on human societies and perceptions, rather than on technology or alien species.
I have found that I enjoy Margaret Atwood’s poems and short essays even more than her full-length novels. There is a quirkiness to them that upends established thinking frames and sheds new light on old themes.
I know this book won the poetry category for the 2020 goodreads choice awards so I’m just going to chalk it up to me being someone who doesn’t particularly appreciate or love poetry.
I also could only tolerate listening to this at 2x speed so do with that information what you will.
There are a handful of nice poems hidden amongst this collection. There are no great or memorable ones and too many that are too simple to bring any pleasure or apprehension.