The Secret Look

by Jessamyn West

serious, meditative, macabre, personal, playful poems

Genres: Poetry

86 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Mary Jessamyn West was an American Quaker (originally from Indiana) who wrote numerous stories and novels, notably The Friendly Persuasion (1945).

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first i thought i might not mind this old-fashioned stuff but then section 2 ... *shiver* ... blurgh.

The tortured syntax to force meter and enable rhyme eventually grated on my senses. I couldn't visualize anything. All words ultimately conveyed little more than the sensation of seeing words on a page. Anyway, that experience kicked in near the end of section 1, waxed throughout section 2, but graciously waned to occasional, intermittently tolerable levels in sections 3& 4.

FYI jacket copy offers this breakdown of sections
(1) serious, meditative, macabre, or metaphysical
(2) personal, playful, satirical, or affectionate
(3) mostly about love and a little about war
(4) about the animal kingdom, wind, weather, and the seasons

[Elizabeth Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One f my favorite things to do is go into my local library, browser the shelves for awhile, and come out with some hidden gems. This was one of those books, and I’m so glad I read it! West has some amazing poetry in this collection. She writes a lot about nature and love, two things I often find overdone in poetry, but she has such an original voice. Don’t let the lack of readers fool you, this is a book definitely worth it to get your hands on.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was devoted to this book as a young teenager when I discovered a copy in our town public library. I can still recite "Slug" from memory, and it was that impulse that led me to track this down as an adult. After years of rereading, I can see this for the limp neo-formalist stew it is, but I still feel sentimental about it.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the poems I read in this book.