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The Woman I Kept to Myself
75 Poems by the Author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies The works of this award-winning poet and novelist are rich with the language and influences of two those of the Dominican Republic of her childhood and the America of her youth and adulthood. They have shaped her writing just as they have shaped her life. In these seventy-five autobiographical poems, Alvarez’s clear voice sings out in every line. Here, in the middle of her life, she looks back as a way of understanding and celebrating the woman she has become.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2004
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About the author
Julia Alvarez
88 books4,056 followersJulia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling.
Photo copyright by Brandon Cruz González
EL VOCERO DE PUERTO RICO
Photo copyright by Brandon Cruz González
EL VOCERO DE PUERTO RICO
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
June 18, 2017
Julia Alvarez has long been one of my favorite authors. Her autobiographical fiction has been a solid mixture of historical events and humor. Before Alvarez established herself as a novelist, she taught creative writing at various universities while penning poetry to keep her name current. While the poems in The Woman I Kept to Myself reappear in Alvarez' novels, the poetry came first and let readers into a window of her soul.
Alvarez moved from the Dominican Republic to New York with her family in the early 1960s, fleeing the Bautista regime. A number of the poems in this volume focus on her growing up as an outsider at a time when she was one of few children of color in her neighborhood. She was called a "spic," her parents pined for a backyard, the four girls were unaware of what snow was, and despite the father's success as a doctor, they longed to return to the island. Alvarez imagery is thorough and heartfelt. As a reader I share her pain growing up. These emotions change as she enters adolescence and emerges as a writer.
As we later discover in her second novel Yo!, Alvarez and her sisters attend Abbot Boarding School for high school. Their mother hopes that this all girl yankee institution will refine them into all-American young ladies. Julia found an ally in her ninth grade English instructor Ruth Stevenson, who was to be a lifelong friend. Yet, she was hardly molded into a proper young lady. Her time at Abbot made Alvarez aware of herself as a Hispanic woman. Despite all of the hair straightening, her hair would always be kinky. On school vacations, she and her sisters desired to visit their family on the island, as a safety zone. These experiences reveal themselves in both poetry and novels.
Alvarez came of age during the feminist movement, and her experiences and politics are reflected in her later poems. She writes of a visit to her female doctor as well as her failed marriage and eventually finding love again at age forty. Her poetry reflects on her place as a Hispanic woman writer when as a group they were just making inroads in the writing world. While I am used to the style from her novels, I found the poems to be Alvarez' usual blend of wit and humor. Her visit to the doctor I found to be uniquely poignant.
Today Julia Alvarez is an accomplished writer as well as instructor at Middlebury College. Her poems in The Woman I Kept to Myself reflect on her early experiences in both life and as a writer. I enjoyed seeing her familiar work in another writing form, and found her to be a gifted writer across many platforms. Even though the topics were repetitive to me, I enjoyed the subject matter because it felt like visiting with an old friend. The Woman I Kept to Myself was a quick yet poignant read, rating 4 solid stars.
Alvarez moved from the Dominican Republic to New York with her family in the early 1960s, fleeing the Bautista regime. A number of the poems in this volume focus on her growing up as an outsider at a time when she was one of few children of color in her neighborhood. She was called a "spic," her parents pined for a backyard, the four girls were unaware of what snow was, and despite the father's success as a doctor, they longed to return to the island. Alvarez imagery is thorough and heartfelt. As a reader I share her pain growing up. These emotions change as she enters adolescence and emerges as a writer.
As we later discover in her second novel Yo!, Alvarez and her sisters attend Abbot Boarding School for high school. Their mother hopes that this all girl yankee institution will refine them into all-American young ladies. Julia found an ally in her ninth grade English instructor Ruth Stevenson, who was to be a lifelong friend. Yet, she was hardly molded into a proper young lady. Her time at Abbot made Alvarez aware of herself as a Hispanic woman. Despite all of the hair straightening, her hair would always be kinky. On school vacations, she and her sisters desired to visit their family on the island, as a safety zone. These experiences reveal themselves in both poetry and novels.
Alvarez came of age during the feminist movement, and her experiences and politics are reflected in her later poems. She writes of a visit to her female doctor as well as her failed marriage and eventually finding love again at age forty. Her poetry reflects on her place as a Hispanic woman writer when as a group they were just making inroads in the writing world. While I am used to the style from her novels, I found the poems to be Alvarez' usual blend of wit and humor. Her visit to the doctor I found to be uniquely poignant.
Today Julia Alvarez is an accomplished writer as well as instructor at Middlebury College. Her poems in The Woman I Kept to Myself reflect on her early experiences in both life and as a writer. I enjoyed seeing her familiar work in another writing form, and found her to be a gifted writer across many platforms. Even though the topics were repetitive to me, I enjoyed the subject matter because it felt like visiting with an old friend. The Woman I Kept to Myself was a quick yet poignant read, rating 4 solid stars.
October 4, 2020
I haven't read such beautiful poetry in a long time.
January 25, 2019
[…] sadness is too mild a word for the grief
I went through, and grief too noble-sounding
for the dull hopelessness I’ll call despair
for lack of a better word.
*
We have to live our natures out, the seed
we call our soul unfolds over the course
of a lifetime and there’s no going back
on who we are—that much I’ve learned from trees.
*
I wanted the world and words to match again
*
I spent my lunch hour in the library,
feeding the poet starving inside me.
*
It’s snowing hard
for days now in the thicket of my heart
*
Words I read years ago keep coming back
to calm me at the most opportune times.
*
I love
the way words say what can’t be said in words.
I went through, and grief too noble-sounding
for the dull hopelessness I’ll call despair
for lack of a better word.
*
We have to live our natures out, the seed
we call our soul unfolds over the course
of a lifetime and there’s no going back
on who we are—that much I’ve learned from trees.
*
I wanted the world and words to match again
*
I spent my lunch hour in the library,
feeding the poet starving inside me.
*
It’s snowing hard
for days now in the thicket of my heart
*
Words I read years ago keep coming back
to calm me at the most opportune times.
*
I love
the way words say what can’t be said in words.
April 26, 2016
Poetry is not my genre, but I enjoyed this. I learned a lot about the author from her poems.
For example, she got in trouble in school a lot, when she went to her fourth grade class in bright red cowboy boots with tassels and asked to be excused from her homework. Later, when her and her siblings were labeled "spics" on the playground, her parents tried to make them feel better by saying that they were being asked to "speak up". Her mother used to threaten her and her sisters that they were going to send her to Bellevue through their misbehavior.
"I wanted stockings, makeup, store-bought clothes; I wanted to look like an American girl; to speak my English so you couldn't tell I'd come from somewhere else."
"Yet as I write in English I murmur the words in Spanish to be sure I'm writing down the truth of what I feel."
"...the next day for English class I was assigned to Miss Ruth Stevenson who closed the classroom door and said, 'Ladies, let's have ourselves a hell of a good time!'
And we did, reading Austen, Dickinson, Eliott, Woolf, until we understood we'd come to train - not tame - the wild girls into the women who would run the world."
For example, she got in trouble in school a lot, when she went to her fourth grade class in bright red cowboy boots with tassels and asked to be excused from her homework. Later, when her and her siblings were labeled "spics" on the playground, her parents tried to make them feel better by saying that they were being asked to "speak up". Her mother used to threaten her and her sisters that they were going to send her to Bellevue through their misbehavior.
"I wanted stockings, makeup, store-bought clothes; I wanted to look like an American girl; to speak my English so you couldn't tell I'd come from somewhere else."
"Yet as I write in English I murmur the words in Spanish to be sure I'm writing down the truth of what I feel."
"...the next day for English class I was assigned to Miss Ruth Stevenson who closed the classroom door and said, 'Ladies, let's have ourselves a hell of a good time!'
And we did, reading Austen, Dickinson, Eliott, Woolf, until we understood we'd come to train - not tame - the wild girls into the women who would run the world."
December 22, 2019
3.5 stars
If you're into free-verse poetry (and I do mean in bulk), I'd definitely recommend this rather long collection. These honestly read more like narratives or short stories than poetry in the traditional sense, especially since the structure of each poem—three stanzas, a plot line, some biblical undertones—stays the same for the entire book. I was originally going to give this a solid four stars, but the writing style just gets a bit bland after a while (a while being more than 150 pages!).
Overall, these poems function as a memoir of sorts, cataloging her experience in moving to the United States from her native Dominican Republic and general reflections on the writing process. It's certainly not bad by any means, and lovers of free verse ought to give this one a try.
If you're into free-verse poetry (and I do mean in bulk), I'd definitely recommend this rather long collection. These honestly read more like narratives or short stories than poetry in the traditional sense, especially since the structure of each poem—three stanzas, a plot line, some biblical undertones—stays the same for the entire book. I was originally going to give this a solid four stars, but the writing style just gets a bit bland after a while (a while being more than 150 pages!).
Overall, these poems function as a memoir of sorts, cataloging her experience in moving to the United States from her native Dominican Republic and general reflections on the writing process. It's certainly not bad by any means, and lovers of free verse ought to give this one a try.
January 27, 2023
What makes Julia Alvarez's poetry so beautiful is how it sneaks up on you; she'll be unraveling a story in her typical prose, and then all of a sudden, a sly turn of phrase will appear seemingly out of nowhere. She's clever, she's wry, and she's honest, and The Woman I Kept to Myself is a perfect illustration of all three of those qualities in one.
March 18, 2011
I've enjoyed Julia Alvarez as a novelist, but I hadn't been aware she was also a poet.
Julia's poetry reads more like prose, and its meaning is accessible even to those who aren't regular connoisseurs of poetry. This collection is a peek into her biography. She shares her frustrations and feelings of being stifled as an immigrant girl, and moves through her development as a woman and as a writer. I connect best with people through their sense of humor, so I enjoyed the way hers sneaks into her poetry.
I love the way she references so many of her favorite poets within her own poems. She mentions everyone from Shakespeare and Keats to Billy Collins and Adrienne Rich. It's a nice way of paying tribute to those who have touched her throughout her life and influenced her own writing. She's even written a poem called I Dream of Allen Ginsberg.
Julia's poetry reads more like prose, and its meaning is accessible even to those who aren't regular connoisseurs of poetry. This collection is a peek into her biography. She shares her frustrations and feelings of being stifled as an immigrant girl, and moves through her development as a woman and as a writer. I connect best with people through their sense of humor, so I enjoyed the way hers sneaks into her poetry.
I love the way she references so many of her favorite poets within her own poems. She mentions everyone from Shakespeare and Keats to Billy Collins and Adrienne Rich. It's a nice way of paying tribute to those who have touched her throughout her life and influenced her own writing. She's even written a poem called I Dream of Allen Ginsberg.
May 2, 2008
This book of poetry reads more like a novel. Alvarez is in her element writing poetry.
April 18, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed my first read of this book. It won’t be my last. One day I’d like to sit down with a highlighter and study this collection. There are a lot of things to be found inside it.
December 27, 2023
This is excellent poetry. Get yourself a copy.
May 1, 2011
This collection of poetry is a great addition to the American immigrant experience shelf, in particular the Spanish-speaking, Latin American immigrant experience shelf, perhaps right next to Ana Menendez's "In Cuba I was a German Shepherd." It is a collection of carefully distilled observations and autobiographical confessions of growing up and being Dominican-American.
But do not be fooled, that's just a bit of what's in here. There is also a lot about being a writer, choosing words, working words, polishing and obsessing about words. Then what becomes interesting, at least to me, is that this particular collection contains poems that could have been written in paragraph format (some people refer to this as prose poetry, though there are different kinds, and this kind is certainly much much more prose than other prose poetry I have read) and you'd have a collection of half-page long diary entries or super short (flash) fiction. And I have not read all of Alvarez' poetry to know if she writes only like this or not, but this kind of prose poetry does not give me the impression that every word was obsessed over and every line was revised endlessly to capture that one particular way of saying something. So that can be amazing craft, or none at all, and in the end it does not matter. But it is certainly not the kind of poetry that you would have to read and re-read in amazement of how those words fit together to give you not a narrative but a feeling. This collection is much more about the narrative, some predictable, but very many surprisingly fresh. It is more about a few well-put words lingering as an afterthought once you are done with a poem. Apart from the immigrant experience and the writer's woes and joys, Alvarez explores family relations, marriage, nature, career woes (as can be applied to any career, not just writing,) and self-analysis.
I would recommend this collection to those who have trouble with poetry, those who think poetry does not make sense, those who claim "poetry is too hard." I would also recommend it to those who find solace in literature and poetry.
But do not be fooled, that's just a bit of what's in here. There is also a lot about being a writer, choosing words, working words, polishing and obsessing about words. Then what becomes interesting, at least to me, is that this particular collection contains poems that could have been written in paragraph format (some people refer to this as prose poetry, though there are different kinds, and this kind is certainly much much more prose than other prose poetry I have read) and you'd have a collection of half-page long diary entries or super short (flash) fiction. And I have not read all of Alvarez' poetry to know if she writes only like this or not, but this kind of prose poetry does not give me the impression that every word was obsessed over and every line was revised endlessly to capture that one particular way of saying something. So that can be amazing craft, or none at all, and in the end it does not matter. But it is certainly not the kind of poetry that you would have to read and re-read in amazement of how those words fit together to give you not a narrative but a feeling. This collection is much more about the narrative, some predictable, but very many surprisingly fresh. It is more about a few well-put words lingering as an afterthought once you are done with a poem. Apart from the immigrant experience and the writer's woes and joys, Alvarez explores family relations, marriage, nature, career woes (as can be applied to any career, not just writing,) and self-analysis.
I would recommend this collection to those who have trouble with poetry, those who think poetry does not make sense, those who claim "poetry is too hard." I would also recommend it to those who find solace in literature and poetry.
February 16, 2015
Actual Rating 4.5 (rounded up, since I couldn't decide which way to go)
Alvarez' poetry is compelling and powerful. She opens with a sequence entitled "Seven Trees", seven poems in the same thirty-line arrangement as the rest of the book that capture some of the most important and affecting moments of her life, including her move to the United States by describing trees that were present or evoked in the moment. The final section, "Keeping Watch" is a series of meditations on awareness in various guises.
The center section has poems about all sorts of things, from her experience as an immigrant, to her relationship with the English language as both a learner and a writer, to her interactions with her family. Some of the best poems are "Spic", "All-American Girl", "Love Portions" and the poems about poetry, art, and language, especially "Why I Teach" and "Leaving English".
The (mostly) free verse is musical and elegant. A sample from "Poetry Makes Nothing Happen"?:
The occasional use of rhyme is very effective and each poem seems to be at once a discrete entity and part of a cohesive whole. Thematically, this collection (like most) explores wide areas, touching on a whole host of ideas, but mostly on the power of language, the importance of identity, the effects of change, and assorted other pieces, good and bad, of the human condition. A well-written and highly enjoyable collection of poetry that manages to be both simple and though-provoking.
Alvarez' poetry is compelling and powerful. She opens with a sequence entitled "Seven Trees", seven poems in the same thirty-line arrangement as the rest of the book that capture some of the most important and affecting moments of her life, including her move to the United States by describing trees that were present or evoked in the moment. The final section, "Keeping Watch" is a series of meditations on awareness in various guises.
The center section has poems about all sorts of things, from her experience as an immigrant, to her relationship with the English language as both a learner and a writer, to her interactions with her family. Some of the best poems are "Spic", "All-American Girl", "Love Portions" and the poems about poetry, art, and language, especially "Why I Teach" and "Leaving English".
The (mostly) free verse is musical and elegant. A sample from "Poetry Makes Nothing Happen"?:
while overcome by grief one lonesome night"Signs" also captures Alvarez's voice perfectly:
when the house still held her husband's pills, May Quinn
took down a book by Yeats and fell asleep
reading "When You Are Old," not the poet's best,
but still, poetry made nothing happen,
which was good, given what May had in mind."
My friend said what was hardest were the signs
her mother left behind: a favorite dress
misbuttoned on a hanger
The occasional use of rhyme is very effective and each poem seems to be at once a discrete entity and part of a cohesive whole. Thematically, this collection (like most) explores wide areas, touching on a whole host of ideas, but mostly on the power of language, the importance of identity, the effects of change, and assorted other pieces, good and bad, of the human condition. A well-written and highly enjoyable collection of poetry that manages to be both simple and though-provoking.
January 28, 2016
It's hard for me to know where to start when reviewing a collection of poetry, but I guess I start with saying that I found these poems to be absolutely gorgeous, even when talking about not-so-pretty topics! As one might guess from the title, these poems cover the span of Alvarez's life up to the time of this collection being written. She speaks of the struggles of trying to find her space in the world as a Dominican child being transplanted to New York City. The poems speaking on this also give a nod of pride and respect to her parents who seemed to remain solid and vigilant, their everyday actions promoting perseverance through adversity, even as young Julia would watch them falter and rebuild time and time again.
She also gets real about her adult years, with poems that only give a whispering reference to a failed marriage and what that taught her. Briefly she writes of the doubts she had about herself during that time, questioning whether or not she understood love. Choosing not to linger with the negative moments, she instead focuses on finding love again later in life, writing poems of gratitude for all that life has taught her -- about herself, her family, her roots, even her connections with the natural world.
Not every poem was an absolute hit for me -- I didn't entirely connect with "Anger & Art", for instance -- but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the collection one bit. This is one I will definitely be referring back to in years to come, and I am curious to see, as I read some of Alvarez's novels, where connections can be made between her writings within the two genres.
She also gets real about her adult years, with poems that only give a whispering reference to a failed marriage and what that taught her. Briefly she writes of the doubts she had about herself during that time, questioning whether or not she understood love. Choosing not to linger with the negative moments, she instead focuses on finding love again later in life, writing poems of gratitude for all that life has taught her -- about herself, her family, her roots, even her connections with the natural world.
Not every poem was an absolute hit for me -- I didn't entirely connect with "Anger & Art", for instance -- but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the collection one bit. This is one I will definitely be referring back to in years to come, and I am curious to see, as I read some of Alvarez's novels, where connections can be made between her writings within the two genres.
Read
February 6, 2017These poems are not dense or hard to understand. They are very easy to read before bed, like Billy Collins (she even refers to him in one poem)
All the poems are 3 stanzas of 10 lines with 10 syllables per line (I don't know the special term for this structure). Sometimese there are rhymes or clever turns of phrase within lines ("saucy salsa songs"), but it's not often. Alavarez is more concerned with the structre.
There are some poems about trees (meh), growing up as an immigrant in NYC (interesting! With some Spanish words sometimes!), a few poems about being an adult woman (meh), and her love of words and poetry (her love is honestly contagious).
My favorite poems in this collection are:
- MY BOTTOM LINE
- TONE
- "POETRY MAKES NOTHING HAPPEN"?
Hold on tight! could be the first commandment / for this life, and the second, Let it go! / Only the empty hand is free to hold.
All the poems are 3 stanzas of 10 lines with 10 syllables per line (I don't know the special term for this structure). Sometimese there are rhymes or clever turns of phrase within lines ("saucy salsa songs"), but it's not often. Alavarez is more concerned with the structre.
There are some poems about trees (meh), growing up as an immigrant in NYC (interesting! With some Spanish words sometimes!), a few poems about being an adult woman (meh), and her love of words and poetry (her love is honestly contagious).
My favorite poems in this collection are:
- MY BOTTOM LINE
- TONE
- "POETRY MAKES NOTHING HAPPEN"?
Hold on tight! could be the first commandment / for this life, and the second, Let it go! / Only the empty hand is free to hold.
October 8, 2018
4 stars: I am usually not a fan of poetry, but I found myself actually wanting to keep turning the pages. Alvarez's unique style drew me in and her usage of subtle rhyming and stresses creates an interesting phonetic texture when read aloud. I believe these poems can appeal to everyone in different ways and would recommend this collection to anyone interested in reading something thoughtful yet concise.
February 26, 2016
I've never read poetry so bland. Although here are some phrases I thought were good:
'Sorry, but I love / the way words say what can't be said in words' (102).
'I've been accused of overreacting / when I change countries and forget myself' (107).
'and oh-too-many women's magazines / (most of them missing pages of coupons)' (97).
And that's all.
'Sorry, but I love / the way words say what can't be said in words' (102).
'I've been accused of overreacting / when I change countries and forget myself' (107).
'and oh-too-many women's magazines / (most of them missing pages of coupons)' (97).
And that's all.
January 10, 2019
This was a very pleasant and wholesome read. I really enjoyed her writing, even in poems I didn't relate to. This felt like an open invitation into someone's house, life, head and most importantly heart, and I felt very welcomed all the way through reading it.
April 10, 2020
Absolutely loved it. Review to come.
May 7, 2023
I write like her
October 3, 2019
The Coming back to myself poem! The opus you should remember always, always.
September 28, 2019
What interested me most about this collection was how it visibly progressed through the author's life, and wasn't like a one time kind of collection. I thought her poems were well written and touched on a wide spread of thoughts and interests, which made for a real and intriguing read.
I just don't personally think I get as much out of poetry as some other readers do. More of a book/essay reader myself.
---
“Then she swore me to secrecy or else
something so horrible she couldn’t tell
would happen! “Or else what?” I begged to know.
But she climbed down and left me looking at
What had already happened to the world.” (6)
“It is mine, my prize, a body that’s going to die!” (20)
“She was one more woman in a series
of dissuaders against that red pickup
in all its transformations, which at root
was a driving desire to be a part
of something bigger than a pretty girl,…” (27)
“I didn’t know if I could ever show
genuine feeling in a borrowed tongue.
…
I wanted to world and words to match again
as when I had lived solely in Spanish.” (29)
“we’d come to train- not tame – the wild girls
into the women who would run the world.” (34)
“Let’s name the animals no longer with us,
except in language…” (71)
“… the whole animal kingdom has come
to celebrate the lucky extinction
of Earth’s worst enemy…
… Not a trace remains
of those who poisoned, ravaged, exploited,
and robbed their common home… (73/74)
“Wherever I walk, footprints mark the ground.
Branches I brush by rustle. Birdsong stops
at my approach. I’m a human presence now.” (86)
“The doctor checks the freckled skin and says,
nothing to fret about. He makes a map
of all my markings, a constellation
not in the sign of Cancer, but to be watched.” (93)
“… I feel gratitude
at one more instance of the many ways
we learn through what we love to love the world-
which might be all that we are here to do.” (116)
“When I read a book I love, I fall in love
with the author, I can’t help it, the voice
even if centuries old pierces my heart” (135).
“What else was it I wanted? I forget.
Or could it be the longing that I want.
To make me stretch beyond the lot I got.” (150)
I just don't personally think I get as much out of poetry as some other readers do. More of a book/essay reader myself.
---
“Then she swore me to secrecy or else
something so horrible she couldn’t tell
would happen! “Or else what?” I begged to know.
But she climbed down and left me looking at
What had already happened to the world.” (6)
“It is mine, my prize, a body that’s going to die!” (20)
“She was one more woman in a series
of dissuaders against that red pickup
in all its transformations, which at root
was a driving desire to be a part
of something bigger than a pretty girl,…” (27)
“I didn’t know if I could ever show
genuine feeling in a borrowed tongue.
…
I wanted to world and words to match again
as when I had lived solely in Spanish.” (29)
“we’d come to train- not tame – the wild girls
into the women who would run the world.” (34)
“Let’s name the animals no longer with us,
except in language…” (71)
“… the whole animal kingdom has come
to celebrate the lucky extinction
of Earth’s worst enemy…
… Not a trace remains
of those who poisoned, ravaged, exploited,
and robbed their common home… (73/74)
“Wherever I walk, footprints mark the ground.
Branches I brush by rustle. Birdsong stops
at my approach. I’m a human presence now.” (86)
“The doctor checks the freckled skin and says,
nothing to fret about. He makes a map
of all my markings, a constellation
not in the sign of Cancer, but to be watched.” (93)
“… I feel gratitude
at one more instance of the many ways
we learn through what we love to love the world-
which might be all that we are here to do.” (116)
“When I read a book I love, I fall in love
with the author, I can’t help it, the voice
even if centuries old pierces my heart” (135).
“What else was it I wanted? I forget.
Or could it be the longing that I want.
To make me stretch beyond the lot I got.” (150)
June 28, 2019
Although I haven't read any of Alvarez's other work I have a feeling that she should stick to writing novels. She is technically good at what she does (every poem in this collection has 3 stanzas with 10 lines each, iambic pentameter), but her poems don't appeal to me. She throws in a rhyme here and there, and there are a few examples of beautiful language ("autumn lights one more fire in the maples" [p. 53 "Love Portions]), but her poems read too much like prose for my liking. She draws heavily from her experiences as an immigrant from Central America. Many of her poems deal with identity, culture, language, and English poets. Her poems are intensely autobiographical as she describes childhood memories, anorexia, cancer, therapy, and domestic life with her husband.
In one poem, she writes "I prefer poems/haiku size" (p. 131 "Small Portions"). I found this quite ironic after reading so many pages of her lackluster 30-line poems. Not that her poems are difficult...the opposite is closer to the truth. They don't offer much of a challenge. From the entire collection I only "liked" three poems...and I didn't "like" them in the sense that I thought that they're enjoyable to read, but because the obvious themes make them ideal for teaching poetry. Alvarez's life sounds interesting, but I feel like her narratives would be better suited to prose.
Poems that I "liked":
"Spic," "The Animals Review Pictures of a Vanished Race," "Aficionados."
=3/75 (4%) poems that I "liked."
In one poem, she writes "I prefer poems/haiku size" (p. 131 "Small Portions"). I found this quite ironic after reading so many pages of her lackluster 30-line poems. Not that her poems are difficult...the opposite is closer to the truth. They don't offer much of a challenge. From the entire collection I only "liked" three poems...and I didn't "like" them in the sense that I thought that they're enjoyable to read, but because the obvious themes make them ideal for teaching poetry. Alvarez's life sounds interesting, but I feel like her narratives would be better suited to prose.
Poems that I "liked":
"Spic," "The Animals Review Pictures of a Vanished Race," "Aficionados."
=3/75 (4%) poems that I "liked."
August 29, 2011
but all my stories tell where I came from
I always forget how much I love poetry until I take the time to sit down and read it. I've heard of Alvarez from a friend who loves her novels, but I'm happy to have read her poetry first.
I'll need to read it again, of course. And again. But for now, some first impressions...
She uses the same structure for all of her poems: three stanzas, ten lines each.
She alludes to other poets, classic works, the Bible -- as a former lit. major, this makes me feel at home in her poems.
She takes the reader through her life -- poem by poem -- and we grow old with her.
A few lines I marked from different poems:
I didn't know if I could ever show
genuine feeling in a borrowed tongue.
As far as I'm concerned the world's a blur
which each word in a sentence focuses
...Sorry, but I love
the way words say what can't be said in words.
You are the bottom line, my love, the net
that catches me each time I take a leap
These are the trophies of my maidenhood
...
These are the chastened girl-selves I gave up
to become the woman who could be married to you.
I wanted a voice, oh yes, one that would tell
simply but with the mute heart's eloquence
who I was...
I always forget how much I love poetry until I take the time to sit down and read it. I've heard of Alvarez from a friend who loves her novels, but I'm happy to have read her poetry first.
I'll need to read it again, of course. And again. But for now, some first impressions...
She uses the same structure for all of her poems: three stanzas, ten lines each.
She alludes to other poets, classic works, the Bible -- as a former lit. major, this makes me feel at home in her poems.
She takes the reader through her life -- poem by poem -- and we grow old with her.
A few lines I marked from different poems:
I didn't know if I could ever show
genuine feeling in a borrowed tongue.
As far as I'm concerned the world's a blur
which each word in a sentence focuses
...Sorry, but I love
the way words say what can't be said in words.
You are the bottom line, my love, the net
that catches me each time I take a leap
These are the trophies of my maidenhood
...
These are the chastened girl-selves I gave up
to become the woman who could be married to you.
I wanted a voice, oh yes, one that would tell
simply but with the mute heart's eloquence
who I was...
November 16, 2011
The Woman I Kept to Myself by Julia Alvarez is an intensely personal collection of poems, detailing Alvarez's childhood and adulthood. She hides nothing from her readers and appears to be using this collection to explore the different stages of her life, from being called a "Spic" as a child to asking her family and country if she has managed redeem herself from past transgressions.
As a poet, I found it particularly interesting that every single poem in this collection is thirty lines long, with three stanzas of ten lines each. With such a rigid structure, I expected the poetry to start feeling similar as I progressed through the seventy-five poems. However, this didn't happen and by the time I reached "Did I Redeem Myself?" I had been completely captivated by Alvarez's style.
As a poet, I found it particularly interesting that every single poem in this collection is thirty lines long, with three stanzas of ten lines each. With such a rigid structure, I expected the poetry to start feeling similar as I progressed through the seventy-five poems. However, this didn't happen and by the time I reached "Did I Redeem Myself?" I had been completely captivated by Alvarez's style.
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January 23, 2017Julia Alvarez was a child in the Dominican Republic, then moved to New York. She writes of family traditions, of prejudice, of a rootless young adulthood with multiple unsuitable relationships, and eventually, a stable love life and career, with the pleasures of reading and writing.
Each poem is three stanzas of ten lines each. All are accessible. I think the poems about her youth are the most vivid. Among my favorites are the ones where she looks back on the trees that were present at different stages of her life. One of the most memorable is the poem called "Spic," where she is teased on the playground, but her mother tells her they want her to "speak." Which is wrong, but she does it anyway. And this is where it has led, to being a writer, to speaking out in her books.
Each poem is three stanzas of ten lines each. All are accessible. I think the poems about her youth are the most vivid. Among my favorites are the ones where she looks back on the trees that were present at different stages of her life. One of the most memorable is the poem called "Spic," where she is teased on the playground, but her mother tells her they want her to "speak." Which is wrong, but she does it anyway. And this is where it has led, to being a writer, to speaking out in her books.
April 28, 2011
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads, and I thank you very much! Nothing is better for the average reader than a non-fiction book that reads like a novel except a collection of poetry that reads like prose, and this is just what that is. Alvarez makes her poems enjoyable for the average reader who may have a hard time appreciating poetry because of the difficulty of reading it. Not only that, but she manages to show us glimpses of her experiences growing up in two different cultures and ending each one with a lesson to think about. This is truly a must read for all. I'll definitely read this again. Alvarez has found herself a new fan!
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November 15, 2019Why do I feel like such a back stabbing Chicana for not gushing over this memoir? I've sent a goal for myself during the 2017-2018 year of reading all works by, about, and for Chicanxs, Latinxs, Hispanics. I call it my own mini-Professional Development. And I want so desperately to love this collection of poetry. But after her "tree" collection, the memoir goes down hill into catalog of clichéd lines.
I think I value the diligence she takes to compose each line, but then at the exact same time that I write this, I want to know how someone who takes such care with each line writes such clichéd expressions.
I don't know what to say other than it was ok.
I think I value the diligence she takes to compose each line, but then at the exact same time that I write this, I want to know how someone who takes such care with each line writes such clichéd expressions.
I don't know what to say other than it was ok.
May 23, 2015
I first read Julia Alvarez back in college for a Spanish Class in which we concentrated on Authors that live on the hyphen... Dominican-American, Mexican-American, Cuban-American. Back then I wondered if my professor had made up the whole thing about living on the hyphen... and while I am not an american born son of an immigrant I identified with many of the traits we discussed about these type of authors.
In this book I see that indeed Alvarez does seem to live on the hyphen as we said many years ago when I was reading about the Garcia girls.
In this book I see that indeed Alvarez does seem to live on the hyphen as we said many years ago when I was reading about the Garcia girls.
May 9, 2018
The Woman I Kept to Myself
4 stars
This poetry collection was a delight to read. Written as a catalog of her personal experiences, each piece fits and flows individually as well as in relation to each other. Alvarez has a great ability in creating vivid images with sparse prose. All of her language is direct and conversational, which I thought grounded even her most whimsical pieces. I would recommend this collection to someone who is hesitant about reading poetry, as well as anyone who has enjoyed Alvarez's novels.
4 stars
This poetry collection was a delight to read. Written as a catalog of her personal experiences, each piece fits and flows individually as well as in relation to each other. Alvarez has a great ability in creating vivid images with sparse prose. All of her language is direct and conversational, which I thought grounded even her most whimsical pieces. I would recommend this collection to someone who is hesitant about reading poetry, as well as anyone who has enjoyed Alvarez's novels.
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