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Can you imagine being a guest of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton while they drank martinis to discuss poetry and everything else? Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz by Gail Crowther might be the closest that we will get to knowing what those amazing afternoons must have been like. If I had a poetry buddy, it would be amazing to go day-drinking and talk about things that no one else understands.
For a couple of years, I wanted to write poetry but I was also nervous about writing poetry. Soon after reading this book, I was more motivated to write. Plath and Sexton faced their own writing issues and they were poetic geniuses.
When I was in college, one of my professors discussed how aggravating it can be when you appreciate an artist and their work but they turn out to be a reprehensible human being. It has happened to me before. By reading this book, I learned things about Sexton that I didn’t know before. It was disappointing but I will make peace with it. By the way, Plath was truly a lovely person.
Plath was married to Ted Hughes who was also a writer. I wonder if he ever made peace with the fact that she was a better writer than he was. (It’s not a fact necessarily. Just a very strong opinion.)
Although it seemed like Plath and Sexton had so much to live for, both poets had serious mental health issues. Unfortunately, depression played a large part in each of their suicides.
If you are interested in learning about Anne Sexton or Sylvia Plath then you might find this book to be very interesting. If you have metrophobia, the fear of poetry, then you should deal with that issue before reading about poets. I did enjoy this book. It did motivate me so I’m grateful to Gail Crowther for writing this book.
- I received this ebook from NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
