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abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
This is a novel in verse, with footnotes telling a bit about the life of Sylvia Plath. A lot of attention went into the poetry, keeping each one consistent with the dating, style, and topic of one of Plath's own, as well as research into her life from several different sources, and a bit of poetic license.
Hemphill is amazing in her use of poetry to tell a story.
Hemphill is amazing in her use of poetry to tell a story.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
3.0
I think biographies in verse are just not my thing. I appreciate the emotion and atmosphere that poetry can bring to a portrait of a person's life, but I am not generally patient in my approach to nonfiction, so the poetry ends up drawing out what could be much more quickly told. It so it feels to me. This poetry is excellent, though, and particularly appropriate to a portrait of Sylvia Plath.
aliciasirois's review against another edition
5.0
I saw this in the LAHS and I have always been fascinated with Sylvia Plath, both her life and her work, so I decided to give it a try. It was really interesting to read about a person who write poetry through poetry. I think this book was actually fiction, though it was very close to the events in Sivvy's life, the author had to take some liberties to make the poetry work. Reading this has inspired me to read more about and by Sylvia Plath.
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
Tricky, this one. At times the poems felt forced (even the nanny needs to use verse? really?), but I did come away with a much enhanced sense for Plath. And I think that's the benefit of what Hemphill has done: we get beautiful glimpses with the imagery her poetry provides.
I am a survivor of postpartum depression, and so it was intriguing to read about her journey as a writer, a wife, and then as a mother. The perfect storm was brewing in the years and months before she took her own life--children 21 months apart, a rocky relationship, a drive to write, social isolation. I didn't feel close to Plath via this narrative, if that makes sense, but I did have compassion for just how scrambled her mind must have been.
I think this can be a gateway to Plath, especially those young adults who probably haven't read her. I was annoyed at many points with what I felt was Hemphill's fan fiction (isn't that what "in the spirit of" means?); that made me want to read the real stuff.
My biggest bone to pick isn't with the book itself but rather how it is cataloged. The author clearly states that this is "largely a work of fiction" and yet it is cataloged 811 or Biography by every library in our consortium. Big HMMMMMMM.
I am a survivor of postpartum depression, and so it was intriguing to read about her journey as a writer, a wife, and then as a mother. The perfect storm was brewing in the years and months before she took her own life--children 21 months apart, a rocky relationship, a drive to write, social isolation. I didn't feel close to Plath via this narrative, if that makes sense, but I did have compassion for just how scrambled her mind must have been.
I think this can be a gateway to Plath, especially those young adults who probably haven't read her. I was annoyed at many points with what I felt was Hemphill's fan fiction (isn't that what "in the spirit of" means?); that made me want to read the real stuff.
My biggest bone to pick isn't with the book itself but rather how it is cataloged. The author clearly states that this is "largely a work of fiction" and yet it is cataloged 811 or Biography by every library in our consortium. Big HMMMMMMM.
katscribefever's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I don't honestly know what I can say about this lyrical portrait of Sylvia Plath apart from that it is haunting. I wish I had read this years ago; she was so much more than a madwoman who stuck her head in an oven.
sweetm917's review against another edition
1.0
read 18 pages and stopped. It a wonderful idea- telling the story of a poet through poems- but the poetry itself was simply not good. And that's important if we're honoring a beautiful poet such as Sylvia Plath.
yabetsy's review against another edition
5.0
Tragedy. Brilliance. Poetry. These things put together add up to Sylvia Plath. The brilliant and beautiful Sylvia Plath was torn apart by her public ambitions, private life, and personal demons. Burdened with guilt over her father's death when she is eight, she spent the rest of her life trying to prove her worth. She could never be too thin, too popular, or too accomplished. She won scholarships to Smith and Cambridge but needed constant psychiatric help. Rejecting many suitors, she marries Ted Hughes, a British poet with whom she could not form a happy marriage, leading to divorce and a tragic end. Here you can follow her life and work through in poetry told from the perspectives of the people around her -- her family members, friends, doctors, fellow writers and acquaintances.
ali_brarian's review against another edition
5.0
Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia. Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. 12-15 yrs.
Beginning in 1932, Stephanie Hemphill takes her reader on a journey through the life, and eventual suicide, of author and poet Sylvia Plath. Touted as a “verse portrait,” Hemphill’s work gives a fictional perspective of the main characters in Plath’s life through verse. Plath’s mother, neighbor, husband, boyfriends, brother, psychiatrist, students and teachers are all given a voice. Based on research, letters and other works by Plath and her entourage, Hemphill’s Your Own, Sylvia blends fiction with fact to create a believable and cohesive collection of poetry.
After each poem, Hemphill includes a footnote about the inspiration for that particular poem and also some background knowledge about the content. Many of the poems are also “in the style of” works written by Plath herself. Winter’s End, for example, is in the style of Edge, the final poem in Plath’s Ariel collection. Edge was written on February 5, 1963, and is a “chilling, exquisitely crafted work and perhaps the last poem Sylvia wrote,” Hemphill informs us in her footnote. By explaining the facts behind the poetry, Hemphill provides history and context without bogging down the facts or making the poetry too dense.
Lovers of poetry and beginners alike can find something worthwhile in Your Own, Sylvia. The poetry is not too complex, but also weaves a story and a history of what Plath endured during her lifetime. Children as young as twelve can understand the meaning behind Hemphill’s poetry and learn more about the life of Sylvia Plath that they might have known little of before. Sometimes troubling, but always honest, sharing the life of a depressed artist is difficult, but Hemphill does so in a way that the reader can admire Plath and her works. The central focus is not on Plath’s death, but rather the key events throughout her life, such as the death of her father and her divorce, that lead her to create her famous poetry. Plath’s The Bell Jar is a book that gets read a lot in the junior high and early high school years. Your Own, Sylvia would be a great companion to Plath’s other works or in any poetry, history or psychology class.
Beginning in 1932, Stephanie Hemphill takes her reader on a journey through the life, and eventual suicide, of author and poet Sylvia Plath. Touted as a “verse portrait,” Hemphill’s work gives a fictional perspective of the main characters in Plath’s life through verse. Plath’s mother, neighbor, husband, boyfriends, brother, psychiatrist, students and teachers are all given a voice. Based on research, letters and other works by Plath and her entourage, Hemphill’s Your Own, Sylvia blends fiction with fact to create a believable and cohesive collection of poetry.
After each poem, Hemphill includes a footnote about the inspiration for that particular poem and also some background knowledge about the content. Many of the poems are also “in the style of” works written by Plath herself. Winter’s End, for example, is in the style of Edge, the final poem in Plath’s Ariel collection. Edge was written on February 5, 1963, and is a “chilling, exquisitely crafted work and perhaps the last poem Sylvia wrote,” Hemphill informs us in her footnote. By explaining the facts behind the poetry, Hemphill provides history and context without bogging down the facts or making the poetry too dense.
Lovers of poetry and beginners alike can find something worthwhile in Your Own, Sylvia. The poetry is not too complex, but also weaves a story and a history of what Plath endured during her lifetime. Children as young as twelve can understand the meaning behind Hemphill’s poetry and learn more about the life of Sylvia Plath that they might have known little of before. Sometimes troubling, but always honest, sharing the life of a depressed artist is difficult, but Hemphill does so in a way that the reader can admire Plath and her works. The central focus is not on Plath’s death, but rather the key events throughout her life, such as the death of her father and her divorce, that lead her to create her famous poetry. Plath’s The Bell Jar is a book that gets read a lot in the junior high and early high school years. Your Own, Sylvia would be a great companion to Plath’s other works or in any poetry, history or psychology class.
wggleworm's review against another edition
5.0
This was an incredibly unique, yet fitting way to learn more about Plath. Each poem is written from the perspective of someone who knew and interacted with her, and each is followed by a footnote with further biographical information regarding the subject matter. I felt that I had a much more intimate knowledge of Plath after reading this, and I am further intrigued about her life and work. I highly recommend this text.
tsuntsundoku's review against another edition
This was a really interesting approach to a biography. Alas, I got tired of it after a while. I listened to the audiobook, where there were multiple narrators. But some voices I just didn’t like at all.
But overall, interesting. But not enduringly so.
But overall, interesting. But not enduringly so.