A review by humbird
Otherwise: New and Selected Poems by Jane Kenyon, Donald Hall

4.0

Beautiful, insightful, and often poignant look at every-day things and events. Jane beautifully pulls out the significance and beauty of small things, pointing our attention to notice and appreciate the details. But such a heavy weight of sadness throughout, which makes sense considering her struggle with depression, which I didn't know about when I started the book. I kept looking for something uplifting and encouraging, and found little. For several of the poems I would love to know the backstory--of whom she was speaking and what happened. Who was ill, who died, what was her role and relationship in the person's life.

I would recommend reading the Afterword first, as it tells of the creation of this particular volume of poems. Understanding the backdrop on which it was assembled sooner in my reading (I think I was 2/3 - 3/4 of the way through when I read the Afterword) would have enhanced my reading of the poems themselves.