Indigo Bunting: a memoir of Edna St. Vincent Millay

by Vincent Sheean

Sheean, Vincent

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Biography

131 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an Indigo Bunting. You're welcome.

And now this review sounds like NPR.

When I picked this up, I was a little uncertain how it would work. I knew it was a memoir of Vincent (Millay), but I couldn't make out in my head if it was a fictionalized memoir written by a friend, or if it was actually written by Vincent but highly edited by Sheean, and so I actually put off reading it for a while because it required too much thought and that was making me grumpy. Thinking, I mean.

But it really is Sheean's own memoir, a brief one, dedicated solely to his memories of Vincent. Pretty touching really. And a quick read, once I stopped thinking and finally sat down to enjoy it. Sheean and his wife were close friends with Edna and her husband and he wrote this a year after she died.

A large portion of this book was about Edna's fascination with birds - she kept birding journals, indicating the birds she encountered, the when, the where, even the sounds if that was all she heard. I love this insight into her life, as it's not something that came up (to my memory) in any of the biographies I've read. Certainly her love of nature comes through in her poetry and her sonnets, but to read it from the pen of a close friend sort of adds a level of validity that was missing before.

What I loved most about this little book are exactly those sorts of details. It's not the best-written memoir, but it's clear Sheean just wanted to put down thoughts about a woman he adored, and to share it with the world.

And Edna herself, whom I hav epreviously described as an astonishing beauty on occasion, had the capacity at such times to become so small and mouselike that one imagined she might actually vanish at any moment. Her green eyes departed; her hair was still and not red; her body grew smaller; she was for the most part away.
p36

I feel this is Sheean's love note to her, his small way of mourning her, telling the world (or reminding himself) that what the world has learned about her isn't necessarily true - or, in any case, it's not the entire truth. There was a softer side to Vincent that many of her contemporaries didn't get a chance to know, that she craved solitude and sometimes she just wanted to feed the birds.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheean looks at the personal side of Millay and her genius. He discusses one memorable visit to her home near Austerlitz (on the coast of Maine) where she allowed him into her private sanctuary -- one with a huge window that had many winged visitors. Birds were a vital part of Millay's life and is seen in her poetry. This story is a brief glimpse into her private life -- which we are able to share.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not much in for memoirs or poetry, so was surprised to find myself enjoying this little book more than expected; it had alternative spiritually references I enjoyed reading, as well. Edna was an interesting woman and I loved all the bird references and her fascination with them. Her poems are easy to follow and are enlightening. I might even pick up a book of some of them.

[Elaine Taft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Sheean may only have had the pleasure of visiting with Edna St. Vincent Millay on a few occasions, I feel his memoir depicts a better understanding of Millay's life than any lengthy biography could attempt to convey. Their relationship was on a much deeper level than some can hope to achieve in a lifetime..it was a Kantian als ob: as if their souls had bonded. His appreciation for her passion for poetry and nature allowed him to form a simply beautiful and rare relationship with her, which he expresses in his writings. Excellent read!