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Grief Is the Thing with Feathers: A Novel by…
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Grief Is the Thing with Feathers: A Novel (original 2015; edition 2016)

by Max Porter (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,4287712,830 (3.8)138
In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and the pain of loss gives way to memories, the little unit of three starts to heal. In this extraordinary debut - part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief - Max Porter's compassion and bravura style combine to dazzling effect. Full of unexpected humour and profound emotional truth, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers marks the arrival of a thrilling new talent.--… (more)
Member:LovingLit
Title:Grief Is the Thing with Feathers: A Novel
Authors:Max Porter (Author)
Info:Graywolf Press (2016), Edition: 1st, 128 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:2017, novella, fable, grief, family, poetry, verse

Work Information

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter (2015)

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» See also 138 mentions

English (69)  Dutch (3)  Italian (2)  Swedish (1)  All languages (75)
Showing 1-5 of 69 (next | show all)
Read #1: 2 stars.
Hmm.
Read #2: 3 stars.
Hmm. Hmm.
Final rating: 5 stars.
(Goes for read #3. It's not a long work.) ( )
  lelandleslie | Feb 24, 2024 |
I read the Dutch version of this book. There are great observations and lovely sentences in it, but overall it didn't live up to the hype for me. I might try one of his other books. ( )
  typefetishist | Sep 16, 2023 |
This is one of those books that confuses me, because I don't understand why people like it. I found it so irritating that I couldn't finish it. If you loved it, tell me why. I really would like to know. ( )
  beckyrenner | Aug 3, 2023 |
A writer researching Ted Hughes is suddenly widowed and left as the single parent of two young boys. In the throes of their grief, this little family is visited by a Crow, who helps them deal with their loss.

There's really not much more to this little book. It's a very strange piece, sometimes funny, sometimes sad and mostly bizarre. I think it is likely to be very divisive; people are either going to hate it, or think it is genius. I genuinely can't make up my mind. ( )
  gjky | Apr 9, 2023 |
A story in verse about the loss of a wife and a mother, and above all else, a story about grief.

Poetry and poetic prose are things that usually go over my head, and a lot of that applies to this little book. I did enjoy the underlying story and the rhythm of the writing, but in the end this didn't really leave any lasting impact on me. ( )
  tuusannuuska | Dec 1, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 69 (next | show all)
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is heartrending, blackly funny, deeply resonant, a perfect summation of what it means to lose someone but still to love the world – and if it reminds publishers that the best books aren’t always the ones that can be pigeonholed or precis-ed or neatly packaged, so much the better.
added by 2wonderY | editThe Guardian, Sarah Crown (Sep 12, 2015)
 

» Add other authors (9 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Max Porterprimary authorall editionscalculated
Crow, EleanorCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lingen, Saskia van derTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Piraccini, SilviaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
That Love crow is all there is,
Is all we know of Love crow;
It is enough, the freight crow should be
Proportioned to the groove crow.
   Emily Dickinson
Dedication
For Roly
First words
There's a feather on my pillow.
Quotations
She was not busy dying, and there is no detritus of care, she was simply busy living, and then she was gone.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and the pain of loss gives way to memories, the little unit of three starts to heal. In this extraordinary debut - part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief - Max Porter's compassion and bravura style combine to dazzling effect. Full of unexpected humour and profound emotional truth, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers marks the arrival of a thrilling new talent.--

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