Customer Reviews

Her Husband: Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath--A Marriage

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't hate this book, but it assumes that one has significant knowledge of the artists' bodies of work, making reference to poems without giving any context or appendixing the passages to which it refers. I suppose I expected something a lot more personal and a little less mechanical, from the title of the book -- not a romance novel, don't get me wrong, but something more human, and more psychologically interesting. I honestly am having trouble getting through it, so I just wanted to bring some balance to the other reviews. It isn't BAD, but make sure you know what you're getting.

Anyone fairly acquainted with modern poets will of course stumble across the marital storyline of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. In biographies I look for accuracy, dynamic writing, and the ability to have the reader feel as though they are part of the history, albeit in the shadows, listening and breathing it in. This book does an informative and exhaustively researched job in presenting a human and heartbreaking rendering of Syliva and Ted. The bias is hesitant in assigning blame to one or the other, but hopes to show the frailty and humanity in both of these intelligent individuals, whilst keeping the history and richness of both parties personalities and their artistry keenly alive. At no point did I find this tedious to read and I had a great interest in the unraveling of their marriage and I sympathize with the holding power of these two, not only their love affair, but their power as poets. It's a lovely, engaging story at it's most primitive level and a fantastic analysis of two wonderfully creative souls and the forces that drove them together and incidentally cast them apart.

I loved this book. Diane Middlebrook approaches the subject respectfully and without bias, which really brought it home for me. I found it interesting because it really discusses the ins and outs of the marriage between Plath and Hughes, focusing specifically on the creative connection they felt with each other. The book is organized chronologically in stages of the relationship. It's certainly not your typical biography.

Middlebrook has a flowing writing style that made this book fun to read. You can tell she understands the importance of words--it shows in her analyses and also her own writing style.

And yes, there is a lot of analysis in this book. Personally, I loved getting the psychological and emotional background behind the poetry. This was, I thought, one of the greatest things about the book. If you like studying poetry and literature like me, you will love this biography. If you are looking for something more thrilling and tawdry, I'd go watch the movie "Sylvia."

I do not feel this book adds anything to the discussion and found it a waste of time. It adds nothing new and the writing is not very good.