Ariel, by Sylvia Plath
I am totally counting Ariel, by Sylvia Plath, as my 'Main character has mental illness' selection, as well as contemporary poetry collection, for my 2016 (Blended) Reading Challenge.
Five stars, though I toyed with the idea of four since Plath has a rather blasé attitude in her use of race/ethnicity as metaphors (or something) that makes me pretty uncomfortable. And some of these are uncomfortable.
Still, Plath has a way with words that just astounds me. She plays with their sound and spelling in such unexpected but perfect ways, and every poem is so raw and personal. This is a spectacular example. I particularly liked 'The Hanging Man' and the closing of the whole book in 'Words' - among a great many others. If you like poetry, or if you just like to play with words, I'd definitely recommend it.
Five stars, though I toyed with the idea of four since Plath has a rather blasé attitude in her use of race/ethnicity as metaphors (or something) that makes me pretty uncomfortable. And some of these are uncomfortable.
Still, Plath has a way with words that just astounds me. She plays with their sound and spelling in such unexpected but perfect ways, and every poem is so raw and personal. This is a spectacular example. I particularly liked 'The Hanging Man' and the closing of the whole book in 'Words' - among a great many others. If you like poetry, or if you just like to play with words, I'd definitely recommend it.