Devotions: A Read with Jenna Pick: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
Product ID: 219384301
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A READ WITH JENNA PICK • From the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Mary Oliver, a definitive and enduring collection of her best work “No matter where one starts reading, Devotions offers much to love. . . . Perhaps more important, the luminous writing provides respite from our crazy world and demonstrates how mindfulness can define and transform a life, moment by moment, poem by poem.”— The Washington Post Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? —Mary Oliver, from “The Summer Day” Throughout her celebrated career, Mary Oliver touched countless readers with her brilliantly crafted verse, expounding on her love for the physical world and the powerful bonds between all living things. Arranged by Oliver herself shortly before her death in 2019, Devotions features Oliver’s work from her very first book of poetry, No Voyage and Other Poems, published in 1963 at the age of twenty-eight, through her last, Felicity, published in 2015. This timeless volume showcases the beloved poet at her edifying best. Within these pages, she provides us with an extraordinary and invaluable collection of her passionate, perceptive, and much-treasured observations of the natural world. Review: Entering the World of Mary Oliver: Such a Gift! - A mere two years before her death, this anthology was published of 200 of Mary Oliver's poems. Suprisingly, it is arranged in reverse chronological order from 2015 to 1963. Nonetheless, it provides a unique perspective allowing the poetry lover to see how Oliver honed her style to be more like Robert Frost: terse but full of meaning than her longer, earlier pieces. Like a finely plaited braid, Mary Oliver entwines three major themes. She is a deist and her God is a Christian God. Though she quotes from both the Old and New Testaments, her language reflects more of the New replete with words like: grace, prayer, rapture and praise. She has no doubt that there is a God for the reader need only see dawn conquer the darkness to know each day is a recreation of the first day. Though she never overtly writes of resurrection, her frequent reflections on death suggest an eternity of existence. In WHITE OWL FLIES INTO AND OUT OF THE FIELD, Oliver writes "...so I thought maybe death isn't darkness, after all, but so much light wrapping itself around us- as soft as feathers-that we are instantly weary of looking and looking and shut our eyes not with amazement, and let ourselves be carried, as though the translucence of mica to the river that is without the least dapple or shadow- that is nothing but light-scalding, aortal light- in which we are washed and washed out of our bones." Another frequent theme is the wonder and beauty of nature. In the style of Walt Whittman, she praises all forms of fauna, flora and aquatic environments from the tiny puddle to the vast ocean. She marvels at the blue of the sky, the blackness of night, the moon's refelctions amid the stars, "those hot, hard watchmen of the night." Looking and listening are our major tasks to appreciate nature fully. She writes, "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." In her poem HUM, Oliver is literally "buzzing" with excitement and creativity as she follows a worker bee gather and carry pollen to the hive. Finally, Oliver underscores her joy in love and companionship. There are hints throughout her poems of a lonely and perhaps neglected childhood. She relishes sharing food and drink with her partner and dogs and the joy of physical closeness. She shares her saddness at the loss of a friend whose "closeness was like a flame, and now I am forever cold..." In THE LOON ON OAK-HEAD POND, she writes of listening to the call of loons stopping over on the pond while heading home to the north "...you come every afternoon and wait to hear it. you sit a long time, quiet, under the thick pines, in the silence that follows. as though it were your own twilight. as though it were your own vanishing song." This marvelous collection of Oliver's poems keeps her voice forever resonating in the reader's mind and heart. Review: This is a word hug in a poem - Mary Oliver's *Devotions* is a breathtaking collection that distills the essence of her life's work into one volume. The anthology brings together over 200 poems, offering a profound exploration of nature, spirituality, and the human experience. Oliver's language is both simple and profound, with each poem inviting the reader to pause and reflect on the beauty and mystery of the world around us. Her observations are sharp yet gentle, capturing the sacred in the everyday. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to her work, *Devotions* is a treasure trove that provides comfort, inspiration, and a deep sense of connection to the natural world. It's the kind of book you'll return to again and again, finding new layers of meaning with each read.
| Best Sellers Rank | #284 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in American Poetry (Books) #1 in Poetry by Women #1 in Nature Poetry |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 6,501 Reviews |
A**T
Entering the World of Mary Oliver: Such a Gift!
A mere two years before her death, this anthology was published of 200 of Mary Oliver's poems. Suprisingly, it is arranged in reverse chronological order from 2015 to 1963. Nonetheless, it provides a unique perspective allowing the poetry lover to see how Oliver honed her style to be more like Robert Frost: terse but full of meaning than her longer, earlier pieces. Like a finely plaited braid, Mary Oliver entwines three major themes. She is a deist and her God is a Christian God. Though she quotes from both the Old and New Testaments, her language reflects more of the New replete with words like: grace, prayer, rapture and praise. She has no doubt that there is a God for the reader need only see dawn conquer the darkness to know each day is a recreation of the first day. Though she never overtly writes of resurrection, her frequent reflections on death suggest an eternity of existence. In WHITE OWL FLIES INTO AND OUT OF THE FIELD, Oliver writes "...so I thought maybe death isn't darkness, after all, but so much light wrapping itself around us- as soft as feathers-that we are instantly weary of looking and looking and shut our eyes not with amazement, and let ourselves be carried, as though the translucence of mica to the river that is without the least dapple or shadow- that is nothing but light-scalding, aortal light- in which we are washed and washed out of our bones." Another frequent theme is the wonder and beauty of nature. In the style of Walt Whittman, she praises all forms of fauna, flora and aquatic environments from the tiny puddle to the vast ocean. She marvels at the blue of the sky, the blackness of night, the moon's refelctions amid the stars, "those hot, hard watchmen of the night." Looking and listening are our major tasks to appreciate nature fully. She writes, "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work." In her poem HUM, Oliver is literally "buzzing" with excitement and creativity as she follows a worker bee gather and carry pollen to the hive. Finally, Oliver underscores her joy in love and companionship. There are hints throughout her poems of a lonely and perhaps neglected childhood. She relishes sharing food and drink with her partner and dogs and the joy of physical closeness. She shares her saddness at the loss of a friend whose "closeness was like a flame, and now I am forever cold..." In THE LOON ON OAK-HEAD POND, she writes of listening to the call of loons stopping over on the pond while heading home to the north "...you come every afternoon and wait to hear it. you sit a long time, quiet, under the thick pines, in the silence that follows. as though it were your own twilight. as though it were your own vanishing song." This marvelous collection of Oliver's poems keeps her voice forever resonating in the reader's mind and heart.
J**O
This is a word hug in a poem
Mary Oliver's *Devotions* is a breathtaking collection that distills the essence of her life's work into one volume. The anthology brings together over 200 poems, offering a profound exploration of nature, spirituality, and the human experience. Oliver's language is both simple and profound, with each poem inviting the reader to pause and reflect on the beauty and mystery of the world around us. Her observations are sharp yet gentle, capturing the sacred in the everyday. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to her work, *Devotions* is a treasure trove that provides comfort, inspiration, and a deep sense of connection to the natural world. It's the kind of book you'll return to again and again, finding new layers of meaning with each read.
D**R
A must for poetry people
What can one say.. everyone should read Mary Oliver!
A**R
Insirational
A classic, inspiring, a compilation of her best work
M**N
Lovely
Mary Oliver has a way of writing that is so calming. Her poetry invites in feelings of peace and gladness, in a simple heart felt way that isn’t forced or over exaggerated as some poetry can be. She is relatable but whimsical with her thoughts on paper, in beautiful succinct sentences that flow effortlessly like water on the page. This would make a great book for a friend going through a loss, or hardship, or someone who just enjoys time in nature. I really enjoyed reading this book and will continue to read from it again and again.
A**R
Wonderful anthology
Joyous poetry, primarily about the wonders and awe of nature
J**L
Good overview of Oliver’s works
Comprehensive collection of Oliver’s poetry
L**N
A reflective journey through nature and life.
A breathtaking collection that invites readers into Mary Oliver's world of nature, introspection, and profound beauty. Each poem feels like a gentle nudge to pause, breathe, and truly observe the world around us. This book is perfect for anyone looking to connect with nature or seeking solace in the written word. If you’re a fan of poetry or just in need of a little inspiration, I highly recommend picking up this collection. It’s a treasure that I’ll cherish for years to come.
A**A
Love
I mean, it's Mary Oliver. There is not much more to be said :)
V**I
Una grande poetessa
Poesia pura, in lingua originale.
J**G
All Heaven and Nature Sing
I am not a big reader of poetry - I can appreciate the beauty of verse and the play on words, but complex and abstract poems overwhelm me and my senses, and I don’t particularly enjoy the almost athletic mental agility demanded at times. Oliver’s poems chased away my fears and changed my perspective. I felt drawn to them because they are so honest and deceptively simple. They are like a balm for the parched soul, so calming and quiet, that reading them feels like a refreshing dip in cool waters. This volume offers an overview of Oliver’s illustrious career documenting the sanctity of the banal and the everyday, the unnoticed and the natural. The simple beauty of nature’s song is captured in Oliver’s clean, resonant verse. Some enduring themes run through her poems, celebrating the “wild and precious life”, the mystery of prayer, and how it goes beyond words, and yet is found in the reverential communion with and contemplation of creation. And it is with respect to the species just as it is to the individual. It may be the grasshopper ‘who is eating sugar out of [her] hand’ and ‘snaps her wings open and floats away’ (“The Summer Day”) or the deer who stumbled against her “so busy with her own happiness” and Oliver’s recognition of ‘the flower of her amazement and the stalled breath of her curiosity, and even the damp touch of her solicitude before she took flight’ (“Picking Blueberries, Austerlitz, New York, 1957”). Oliver celebrates beauty and its separateness from the performance of nature for Her own benefit. In the poems, she embraces impermanence and transience of each passing moment, and yet appreciates the eternal in that moment, where she fully partakes of life in the present. There is so much to appreciate and to contemplate in this collection that words would never suffice. I am convinced new and fresh wisdom would unveil itself with each revisit. It took me more than a whole year to spend time with this mammoth collection without rushing through it. Any attempt to would have been counter to the words that bid me to slow down and take my time. More than 5 solid gold stars.
H**N
Helande ord!
Helt fantastisk!!!!
A**E
Wunder im Kleinen entdecken
Die Gedichte von Mary Oliver in diesem Band sind wunderschön, sehr naturverbunden und berühren das Herz auf eine sanfte Weise. Ich lese die Gedichte gern morgens, da sie entspannen, anregen und inspirieren. Als Nicht-Englische Muttersprachlerin, die sehr gern auf Englisch liest, musste ich doch viele Worte nachschlagen, da sie mir völlig unbekannt waren - insb. Tier- und Pflanzenarten. Dafür konnte ich nicht nur die Dichtkunst genießen, sondern auch jeden Morgen etwas Neues lernen. Wer gerne Wunder im Kleinen entdeckt, könnte sich für dieses Band begeistern!
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