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tlindhorst's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.25
This book was posthumously published after the author died of cancer. The poems at the beginning are refined and meaning-laden, but the treat of the book is seeing “behind the scenes” excerpts from the author’s journals. You can see her process of creating these beautiful odes to the universe. I was most moved by a few of her poems towards the end that addressed her impending death.
ghsr's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED the astro poems and the autobiographical essay at the end was lovely, could have skipped the notebook excerpts though
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
Published posthumously, this volume contains Elson's first collection, as well as an essay describing her career as an astronomer, and a selection of extracts from her notebooks. Her poetry, mainly written in clear, lyrical free-verse, deals with astronomy and our relationship to the stars, as well as love, family, and Elson's diagnosis with cancer. Her poems reflecting on mortality have particular poignancy and insight, and her exploration of love is sensual and moving. Her collection is uneven: some of these poems are true gems that deserve to be loved and remembered, and some of them are not very gripping or convincing. The essay about her work as an astronomer is fascinating, and as an insight into women in the science fields, it's very valuable. I'm glad I found this book, and I recommend it.
atamano's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
uniskorn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
3.5
I expected the poems to deal more with astronomy and the human condition than they actually do. Most poems read like nature writing which is nice. I like poetry that dives a little deeper and makes more connections and while some delivered, most seemed to fall flat for me. I wanted to like this collection more than I did.
rabidfae's review against another edition
3.0
A heartfelt collection of poems that seeks to understand our place in the universe and the meaning of death. It was interesting to read Elson's account of her life upon becoming an astrophysicist although I didn't find the essay enthralling enough to pay too much attention. The poems were the one that drew my attention. It's fascinating how she tried to incorporate her thing for science in writing her poems.
These are the ones that I enjoyed reading:
Let There Always Be Light (Searching for Dark Matter)
Some Thoughts about the Ocean and the Universe
February, rue Labat
Midwinter, Baffin Bay
The Ballad of Just and While
OncoMouse, Kitchen Mouse
Antidotes to Fear of Death
These are the ones that I enjoyed reading:
Let There Always Be Light (Searching for Dark Matter)
Some Thoughts about the Ocean and the Universe
February, rue Labat
Midwinter, Baffin Bay
The Ballad of Just and While
OncoMouse, Kitchen Mouse
Antidotes to Fear of Death