Musca Domestica

by Christine Hume

Winner of the 1999 Barnard New Women Poets Prize

Genres: Poetry

76 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2000

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like Christine Hume's Musca Domestica. I don't know if I'm just not in the right frame of mind to read poetry right now when I'm focusing so much on non-fiction, but this book did not sit well with me at all. I thought it was challenging just to be academically intellectual, and I thought it was devoid of emotion entirely. With poetry, for me, I LOVE language/diction/abstraction challenges, but if there is no reward--emotionally or intellectually, I don't have time for it. To me, then, it just becomes a word game. I can play those in the newspaper. I believe the real challenge is being rigorous intellectually while giving the reader some emotional thread to keep them engaged on the basic human instinctual level. Maybe I'll read this book again, next year, and get it. Maybe I won't. This time around it wasn't for me. Great titles, though. 2 out of 5 Hello Kittys.

[Keith Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult first book that repays a slow and close reading. Later work is more accessible, but I think she got to the later work by the very occasionally tortured path of this first one. Here's a thing I wrote back in the day:

https://annarborobserver.com/articles...

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few poems in the middle of the book were worth four stars, and the verbal dexterity of the poet is unquestionable, but the writing was private to the point of exclusion, which made for tiresome reading some of the time.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not casual reading, but worth it if you're into verbal puzzles.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christine Hume's profuse lexicon, as Ann Lauterbach says on the jacket, is simply amazing. An inspiring book for young poets.

[Timothy Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uneven, but the good is very good. Like Matthea Harvey, Hume seems to oscillate between the failed gimmick, and the successful gimmick's great rewards.

[C.S. Carrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to read. Beautiful imagery, language, and intellect.