Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
271st out of 1,020 books
—
1,053 voters
The Wellspring
by
Sharon Olds
Sharon Olds's dazzling new collection is a sequence of poems that reaches into the very wellspring of life. The poems take us back to the womb, and from there on to childhood, to a searing sexual awakening, to the shock of childbirth, to the wonder and humor of parenthood--and, finally, to the depths of adult love.
Always bold, musical, honest, these poems plunge us into th...more
Always bold, musical, honest, these poems plunge us into th...more
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
January 30th 1996
by Knopf
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
747)
I really love the possessive element of love Sharon Olds portrays, it permeates all aspects so that she is witness to her parent's love making, she prays for her son's body during his illness, 'I think of your penis, its/ candour and virtue' (Poem to Our Son after a High Fever). I found all of her poems about her son especially moving. She brings you in to this immediate sensual world with a single line of imagery that makes me feel as if I have just been granted a close up of something profound...more
Sharon Olds’ book, The Wellspring is a life-story of poems. Separated into four parts, the poems are narrative snapshots of confessional scenes and interactions. Each poem is written with candor and grace. The sections move from before the poet’s birth to her mischievous childhood, to an unabashed sexual awakening into childbirth and the adoration of her children, and culminate with the wholly matured love between her and her husband.
Her craft and plainness of language lends to her authenticity....more
Her craft and plainness of language lends to her authenticity....more
Stellar poetry following the stages of a woman's (presumably Sharon Olds'!) life. I don't read poetry on a regular basis but really enjoy all of these as they touch on our common journey through childhood, young adulthood and motherhood. And I love the way she puts the words together, so lyrical and intimate. I keep meaning to return this book to the library but have not yet been able to bring myself to do it...
The poems that touched me the most were the ones in which Olds imagines what life must have been like for her parents before she was born (e.g. "Visiting My Mother's College") as well as well as all of the poems about her own children in Part 3 of book. For me, these poems from her own perspective as a mother, especially "The Bonding" about the bond between her son and daughter and "High School Senior" about her love for her daughter, made me aware of just how much our parents must love us. Ther...more
Olds is consistent to a fault, but either she or I is running out of steam for sex, family, and flesh.
Sharon Olds chronicles the span of youth to middle age in this magnificent anthology.
my favorite of all her collections. she is my favorite poet after NERUDA.
Raw. Olds writes like she's been flayed to the bone.
The first book of poetry I ever bought for myself.
Sharon Olds is amazing. That is all.
inspirational
Again a voice I like to revisit.
Each time I read this book, different poems stand out as my favorites. My favorite this time around is a poem about her daughter, as she looks through college applications, that goes something like "Just as I was a daughter inside my mother's life, I am a mother inside my daughter... I have yet to be born."
LOVE!
I learned about Sharon Olds while doing a writer's boot camp this summer. She has such a way with words that create visible scenes. Extremely honest and graphic. Take that as you will.
a little dissapointing and that's hard for me to sya because I'm a HUGE Sharon-fan...huge! But compared to her other books this one just doesn't hold a candle...seems like she's trying, unsuccessfully, to capture what she had in previous books. Maybe next time Sharon!
Dec 28, 2009
Bobrhodes Rhodes
added it
I'm re-reading this. Some very good stuff here.
I can't stand reading poetry, but I like Sharon Olds.
Pretty poems mostly about her husband's scrotum.
I would expect nothing less from Olds.
My favorite book of poetry.
not my favorite sharon olds
rec: sarahd
[have copy]
[have copy]
i like olds in general.
Jun 17, 2013
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Jun 17, 2013
Lauren Whitehead
added it
Jun 15, 2013
Nancy
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Born in San Francisco on November 19, 1942, Sharon Olds earned a B.A. at Stanford University and a Ph.D. at Columbia University.
Her first collection of poems, Satan Says (1980), received the inaugural San Francisco Poetry Center Award. Olds's following collection, The Dead & the Living (1983), received the Lamont Poetry Selection in 1983 and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Her other col...more
More about Sharon Olds...
Her first collection of poems, Satan Says (1980), received the inaugural San Francisco Poetry Center Award. Olds's following collection, The Dead & the Living (1983), received the Lamont Poetry Selection in 1983 and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Her other col...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
