iseefeelings's reviews
327 reviews

Couldn't find this ebook on Kobo and had to read it on my iPad through Kindle instead. 
This book is quite an achievement to be published, especially considering the limited access to any paper trail on Assia (Wevill) Gutmann. The article presents Assia as a woman with a rich history, rather than just a footnote in the story of the most celebrated couple of the twentieth century. She was someone's daughter and friend, also incredibly talented.
I felt a deep sense of sorrow for her. There were numerous occasions when she could have left Hughes but ultimately ended her life tragically. Ted Hughes is portrayed in this book as a likely narcissist who repeatedly failed to keep his promises, contradicted everything he had said yet romanticized his ex-lover and wife in his work while deflecting blame from himself.
Instead of portraying Assia's life as the typical story of a naive woman with a doomed fate, this biography aims to bring justice to Assia Gutmann. The book, which is the only comprehensive study of Assia, has earned a five-star rating from me.

The victim of the affair is not always the victim of the marriage."
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"[...]For them, infidelity is opportunism—they cheat with impunity, simply because they can."
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"No woman should ever give one man all the power to shatter her romantic ideals. There is a big difference between saying, "That one person let me down and I'm hurt," and saying, "I'll never love again."
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The stories of people and their experiences have always fascinated me. I decided to read this book after pondering upon the famous tragic love triangle involving Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, and Assia Wevill, as well as reflecting on the affairs I have seen and heard in my own life. I was impressed by this book, which convinced me that Esther Perel is an excellent therapist for couples. Instead of viewing affairs through the lens of prejudice and the doom of love, Perel builds her arguments around the stories she has worked through with her clients, gaining a lot of wisdom from them. I found her analysis endearing, but I believe it could be more powerful if it offered more than just anecdotes of affairs in marriage. Would highly recommend it to those who want an introduction to the complex meanings of infidelity.

“This is the terror in writing about Plath—you have to get everything right, but there is so much to get wrong.”
“This is the chief problem of writing about Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath—you know Hughes made it hard for these women, you know they feared him. You know he made it hard for the women who wanted to write about them. You know somehow he still does, although he is no more, scattered ashes somewhere on Dartmoor.”
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Initially, I was under the impression that the empathetic portrayal of Plath and Hughes in Red Comet by Heather Clark had been replaced by Emily Van Duyne's unapologetically sharp voice. However, I soon realized that Van Duyne had skillfully channelled her compassion for women who rightfully deserve to be heard and seen.
I found the book to be more of an indictment of Ted Hughes rather than a reclamation of Sylvia Plath. It seemed to portray him as a brutal and controlling figure rather than a poet plagued by guilt as is the common belief. I understand that the author is a survivor of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) survivor, and I don't want to discredit her efforts in this book. However, I wonder if her personal experiences have affected the portrayal of Plath at all. I despise what Hughes did to Plath at the end of their marriage, particularly his extramarital affairs. Yet, I don't want to disregard the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) survivor, and I don't want to discredit her efforts in this book. However, I wonder if her personal experiences have affected her view of Plath. I despise what Hughes did to Plath at the end of their marriage, particularly his extramarital affairs. Yet, I don't want to disregard the bond they had as artists and how they supported each other's careers through all the ups and downs. I believe that the perspective brought out by this book should not be seen as the only way to understand the complex relationship between Plath and Hughes (both during and after her lifetime).
As much as I enjoyed devouring the analysis of the poems by Plath and Hughes, I found some of the interpretations went way too far (for example, the rumour of the incestuous relationship between Olwyn and Ted Hughes—was it be credited enough and necessary to be included in this book?). Nevertheless, the book offers well-researched insights and thought-provoking analyses on the matter of IPV. It sheds light on what we missed while reading about Plath’s life, seeing through what Hughes did with “anything he remembered, we remembered. What he forgot was thought to be lost.”
All things considered, I appreciate the book for providing such crucial and up-to-date information that I didn’t find in most biographies and articles about Plath. It was finely executed in roughly 300 pages. I was especially touched by the last few chapters, particularly when Van Duyne paid homage to both Sylvia Plath and Assia Wevill by visiting their resting places. Thanks to this book, I also found Wevill’s story to be more compelling than merely Plath’s love rival.
This is definitely a great follow-up for anyone who has recently finished a biography on Plath.

 Plath’s writing has been a source of comfort for me since my teenage years: universally relatable and beautifully descriptive. The difficult part of reading anything written by her is the fact that we know how she died and its shadow lingers in my mind. There are times when it was heartbreaking to see her foreshadow her own future in many journal entries. Despite this, I admire Plath for her resilience and intellect. I choose to celebrate her writing and am grateful to discover the books. It has reignited my love for writing and I have been writing more. Plath’s journal allows me to see Plath’s methodical revisions and the thoughtful ways she crafted her work as well as expressing her rich emotional life.
A book to cherish indeed. 

This is the most comprehensive and haunting biography that I have ever read. I would give it more than five stars if I could. As I delved into the pages of Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark, I found myself immersed in the intricate tapestry of Plath's family history and the mazelike web of her relationships. The towering presence of Ted Hughes in Plath's life left an indelible impression on me. The initial years of their marriage were a poignant portrayal of love, but as their bond unravelled, my heart ached for Plath. The stark reality of Hughes' extramarital affairs leaving lasting scars on Plath's life was a bitter pill to swallow. I was like a wreck reading about the crumbling marriage. My thoughts were consumed by their tragedy, and the sheer magnitude of their downfall was unfathomable.   Nevertheless, I do believe their love was unconditional. Now I approach Plath's life and work with a deeper understanding and heightened empathy. While we cannot alter the course of someone's life, we possess the choice to honour the enduring legacy they have left behind.

As much as I want to sympathize with the author, there is still so much reflection that I think she needs to do. There is so much wasted potential and many unresolved issues which make the book a disappointment in the end.