Reviews

Decreation by Anne Carson

oliviaramsey21's review against another edition

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4.0

anne carson <3

“i don’t want to be a person. i want to be unbearable.”

“here we go mother, on this shipless ocean. pity us, pity the ocean, here we go.”

i love that i knew this was fantastic without understanding half of it.

dungaratungara's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

the essays were absolutely brilliant but the poetry left a lot to be desired.

boyardee's review against another edition

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4.0

longinus - mentioned in william carlos williams.
arumim (naked) & arum (cunning)
"what does it matter to me that there were other people to love?"

dense. need to reread.

laudea98's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.25

bethanyclarkvt's review against another edition

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4.0

I am rounding up from 3.5 because Anne Carson is one of my favorite poets. This is a book that is pretty dense mostly because I did not grasp all the academic references she makes. That being said, as usual Anne Carson does absolutely wonderful things with language. I enjoyed it despite understanding little.

carrie328's review against another edition

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4.0

This is one of Carson's 'bitty' books, an assemblage of various bits and pieces. The best part, in my view, is the actual Decreation essay and opera at the end.

welcheroni's review against another edition

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5.0

This book has become my favorite. Worthy of re-reading again and again. Carson combines essay, prose, opera, that reminds me that poetry can be anything. Absolutely stunning!

ishasih's review against another edition

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4.0

absolutely loved it.
hardly any collection of material like hers –
there is hardly anyone writing in english like anne carson;–
who is her own genre:
her own form and content.

very_mellifluous's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

As usual with Anne Carson (excepting Autobiography of Red) I come away with only a sliver of the iceberg of understanding what the book is probably actually saying, but I want the ride nonetheless. 

The book begins with an extensive reading of sleep, which was harder for me to get through, but I enjoyed the rest. I learned about Michelangelo Antonioni and Simone Weil, which I’m super excited to do some deep dives on. There were, as usual, some gorgeous lines. I think if/when I reread this, I’ll have more thoughts to say on decreation, but my understanding was such that I basically just accompanied Anne as she walked me through it. 

zoewells's review against another edition

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4.0

guys I'm beginning to think Anne Carson likes the colour red