I really enjoyed this Taylor Swift-inspired curation of poetry, much of which I was unfamiliar with, but ended up loving. It's got a great, varied mix of classical poets, themes, and forms. It might have been nice to include some more modern poets within the different themes, but nonetheless, still an educational and thought-provoking collection.
I'm not sure *how* connected any of this poetry is to Taylor Swift (we can only lightly assume she's consulted poetry in her songwriting?), but I think it's a unique idea, and we can connect a lot of the themes from the poetry included to those in her songwriting. After all, Taylor's discography is full of the universal themes of heartbreak, revenge, folklore, and peace. It's also a timely tome with the recent release of TTPD. Another thing this book and Taylor Swift songs have in common? You'll need to keep a dictionary nearby. ;-) It's a way to include more scholarship in our pop culture, and I really enjoyed connecting with these poems.
I especially loved "The Sparrow," "A Noiseless Patient Spider," "Joy," and "Nature is what we see."
It's a book you want to buy and spend time with -- a book to pour over, muse, and find meaning in. A book to read and come back to. Also, it's a great gift for any elder millennial Swiftie!
Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. POEMS FOR TORTURED SOULS is out 9/3/24.