Songs for Ophelia - A Review

Switching gears for a moment from domestic fantasy, I was recently lucky enough to be sent an advanced copy of Theodora Goss' new mythically inspired poetry collection, Songs for Ophelia.

I was impressed not only with the individual poems in the collection, but also how beautifully they all fit together as an overall narrative.  The poems are organized into the four seasons, and although you see the transformation of certain natural elements across the seasons, there is little to no repetition.  Some poems are canvases that capture a single moment in time, while others encompass entire lifetimes of fascinating characters.

My favorite poems in the collection all seemed to fit into the latter category, but I appreciated them all.  Poems like "The Witch" and "Shoes of Bark" beautifully explore the idea of the ages of womanhood, of motherhood and daughterhood, and how we weave magic with each other or have the ability to tear each other apart.  The poems are full of rich rich imagery, each one best experienced slowly so that it can be pondered and savored.

Theodora's technical prowess also quietly shines through...the quality of the meter and solidity of the structure of her poems is easy to forget when you get so caught up in the imagery she also provides, but it is nonetheless still there, like the sturdy spine of a dancer whose costume and movements distract us from her underlying strength.

I highly recommend this poetry collection.  Theodora Goss is one of those authors, unlike James Patterson or Nora Roberts, who takes her time to put out a truly priceless creation rather than churning out new materials for filler.  There is no filler in this collection, each poem shines like a jewel.  Pluck your own jewel today!!