The name Margaret Atwood popped out at me immediately when I saw this book, but I wasn't sure why. I have come to  realize that she is the author of many popular books that I now adding to my  to-be-read lists.

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of poetry. So often poets seem to live in a world that I can't even begin to understand and I don't get the little nuances that would help me "get" the meaning behind their abstract words. This book on the other hand is wonderfully descriptive and  clear to even someone like me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and feel it is worth every bit of the 5 stars I feel  it deserves.

I'm the only person I know who likes Atwood's poetry even more than her novels, so I really appreciate the publisher approving my request for this title--thank you! Because some of her earlier poems have so much meaning for me, most of my favorites here resonated with earlier works--for instance, "Salt" with "Precognition", or the conclusion of "Shadow" with "Tricks with Mirrors"--and/or each other, as "Shadow" does with the gorgeous closing entry, "Blackberries"; however, I also loved the short, sharp, edges of "Cassandra Considers Declining the Gift" and "Short Takes on Wolves". I always recommend  Atwood's work for any institution's poetry collection, and hope that more people will come to discover and love her poetry as much as I do.

Another beautiful collection of poems from Margaret Atwood and one that I want to read and reread as I explore and think about the many different poems. A collection I would share with anyone who loves Margaret Atwood or someone just starting poetry.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I wasn't sure what to expect as poetry can differ so much from a novel. I liked this collection of poetry though. My favorite was the poem Blizzard. I would recommend if you are a fan of Atwood or if you enjoy poetry..

I am so excited to have scored this one!!! Isn’t it gorgeous?! A HUGE thank you to @eccobooks at @harpercollins for sending me a free ARC of this new book of poems from the great Margaret Atwood! I have been anticipating the release of this since I heard it was being published and I am so so SO excited for the chance to read and review it early. This title will be released in November, so mark your calendars, Atwood fans!!

Margaret Atwood's new book of poems is just as amazing as her work in fiction, and reminds us that she is as much a poet as talented novelist. Her simple lines are steeped in meaning and paint a hauntingly fresh view of reality.

In Dearly, Atwood's first collection of poetry in over a decade, she touches on a variety of themes, from love and loss to the passage of time. Some of my favorite verses brought up themes of memory and time, something that Atwood often includes in her writing. Her new poetry is as introspective and personal as ever, but this collection really resonated with me personally. Atwood lost her husband last year after a long fight with dementia. My grandmother was diagnosed with it, and I can understand and relate to the pain of coping when someone you love is starting to forget who you are.

The poems move through the phases of life, "like moon phases", progressing in parts, like maiden to crone.

The very first poem, Late Poems, seems to set the tone for the collection with a reminder: It is never too late. You may not be able to change the past, but it is never too late to learn from the past. Nothing is meaningless, and it is never too late.

Some poems offer haunting warnings:

Were things good then?

Yes. They were good.

Did you know they were good?

No, because I was worrying

or maybe hungry, or asleep ...

"Oh, beware..." Beware of losing yourself. We must make good memories and not get mired down in worry and laziness. Appreciate where you are now, but know that you will not always be where you are now. We don't know the good ol' days until they are over, so make them last with the ones you love.

Some poems pose questions to the reader, like an existential personality quiz:

If birds are human souls

What bird are you?

or

If you were a song

What song would you be?

But my favorite lines were the lines on memory and time. In Dream the speaker makes clear comparisons between aging to the seasons: "you are young ... and it is summer" becomes "suddenly I'm older ... and it is winter". There are so many beautiful poems about the struggle of aging, fading, and forgetting. Letting go is difficult, but inevitable, and these poems serve as a sort of coping mechanism for dealing with loss.

The clock ticks and the day shrivels.

Dusk sifts down on us.

How long should I stay?

The language Atwood uses to express her losses is simple and straightforward, and that simplicity is what I enjoy most about her verses.  Quick but effective, Atwood’s poignant poems keep readers flipping through pages, getting lost in language.

Books of poetry should be regarded as of the most readable genre of our time. Reader’s attention spans are shorter than they have ever been before; the average person typically will read snippets of text on social media and advertisements throughout the day, but will not sit to read a whole book. Technology is changing our reading habits, and poetry offers a reading experience that imitates the way we read today. Short and simple verses mimic how we read snippets of literature throughout the day (like on Instagram or Twitter). This is the type of book that can be read in a day, and will leave readers returning to it forever.

I am not usually a big reader of poetry, but I have read many novels by this author so I thought I’d give it a go. I thoroughly enjoyed many of the pieces. In particular Shadow, Oh Children and Dearly stood out to me. This was a quick, thoughtful read and I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys poems of nature, love and loss. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for granting access to this book in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review tomorrow to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page @thatreadingrealtor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco Publishing for this free ARC.

I've never read any of Margaret's poems before, I actually didn't even know she wrote poetry.  Shame on me, I know.  These poems were very haunting and had a bitter tone to them.  "Betrayed" really hit home for me.

Thrilling to have new poetry from Margaret Atwood. Each poem about climate change, in particular, packed quite the gut punch. This is a volume to savor and sit with and revisit often.

This is the first time I’ve read Atwoord’s poetry. I was worried it wouldn’t be up my alley or unrelated to my personal experience but I found myself enjoying her work thoroughly!

I've loved Atwood's prose since discovering her works in high school (in the early 2000s). The way she tells a story is imaginative and grips you unexpectedly. Her poetry has the same effect, especially as time passes and I age into a deeper experience of life. This collection includes a variety of topics that string together to tell the story of life in today's world, though it doesn't dive into digital culture or current politics. Overall, I enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes for a while.

Thank you to Ecco and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of Dearly in exchange of an honest review. I have read one book by Margret Atwood and I love poetry, so I thought I would enjoy this title by her. I did not enjoy her poetry as much as I thought I would. Some of the poems didn’t make any sense and others were not entertaining. It is probably just that I was not the right reader for this. If people are a fan of Margret Atwood, I would say check this out when it comes out.

I enjoyed the poems in this book very much especially the ones featuring animals and nature. Really a wide range spanning various topics and stages in life. I loved how many of the poems had a rhythm and some a cleverly done rhyme. I want to read many more of her books!

I knew after reading The Handmaid’s Tale that Margaret Atwood was extraordinary.  

It’s been a long time since I have read poetry.  But I was intrigued when I saw this book.  I was not disappointed.  The range of emotions I felt while reading was so wide.  I smiled, I frowned, I thought “what in the world was going through her head when she wrote that?”.   It’s dark and light all in one.

Margaret Atwood's "Dearly" is, at once, an ode to beginnings and to endings. This collection of poetry speaks of remembrance and of forgetting; of living and of dying; of hope and despair; of love and of loss; of nature and of human made destruction. Atwood's words evoke clear imagery and emotions, sometimes conveying us to a cloud covered, brisk day in the woods, with the smell of leaf decay and earth, seeing mushrooms and damp spreading ahead of our paths; sometimes showing us the vine-like stranglehold plastics have taken on our natural world. We read of birds and feathers and of myth and fairy tales retold. We read of women taking hold of their sexuality and our continued struggle to be the owners of our own bodies. The poems in this collection at once feel dark and lurking while also feeling powerful and sharp.

I don't often read poetry, but being a longtime lover of Atwood's wide range of written works, from essay and poetry to fiction, I was excited to delve deeper into our world with Atwood as my guide, and I was not disappointed.

Atwood’s writing is beautiful. I loved every page. My only complaint was that it was too short and I wish it wouldn’t have ended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ghost cats, doomed mermaids, dementia, Cicadas, sex, betrayal.

Memories, murder, war, mushrooms, zombies, werewolves, and aliens.

These are but a few of the topics touched on in Margaret Atwood’s fascinating collection of new poems.

Margaret Atwood builds magical worlds, mourns the cruelty and callousness in our world, and with her words invites her readers to dream with her of the past, the whimsical, the dark, and the future.

I adore Margaret Atwood and am so thankful to have received an ARC from #Netgalley to review her collections of poems #Dearly

In a range of titles, Margaret Atwood displays her talent for the written word in all its forms. Atwood has a talent for language to resonates in her prose as well as in these atmospheric reflections. Haunting and beautiful work.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

I'm not sure what I expected from Margaret Atwood writing poetry. There's a good variety of poem types and content. Some I really enjoyed. Others I found too specific or too heavy handed. 

Overall it's an interesting collection!

Dearly by Margaret Atwood was a disappointment for me. After reading and enjoying Alias Grace and also loving poetry, I thought this would be an interesting read. I knew from the description that it covered a whole lot of topics. I was excited about the wide range, however, I felt it made it a little hard to swallow. I enjoyed a select few and the rest I really could not stand. I enjoyed that they were all short. 

I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Ecco through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I had high expectations for Dearly, and it delivers. Some of these poems are quiet enough that I had to read them several times to make sure I was hearing what they had to say. Others made my heart ache in a way I couldn't quite come to terms with. Standouts for me were Carving the Jacks, which I will be promptly committing to memory, At the Translation Conference, and Blackberries. This is a must add to library collections.