Margaret Atwood's "Dearly" is, at once, an ode to beginnings and to endings. This collection of poetry speaks of remembrance and of forgetting; of living and of dying; of hope and despair; of love and of loss; of nature and of human made destruction. Atwood's words evoke clear imagery and emotions, sometimes conveying us to a cloud covered, brisk day in the woods, with the smell of leaf decay and earth, seeing mushrooms and damp spreading ahead of our paths; sometimes showing us the vine-like stranglehold plastics have taken on our natural world. We read of birds and feathers and of myth and fairy tales retold. We read of women taking hold of their sexuality and our continued struggle to be the owners of our own bodies. The poems in this collection at once feel dark and lurking while also feeling powerful and sharp.

I don't often read poetry, but being a longtime lover of Atwood's wide range of written works, from essay and poetry to fiction, I was excited to delve deeper into our world with Atwood as my guide, and I was not disappointed.

Atwood’s writing is beautiful. I loved every page. My only complaint was that it was too short and I wish it wouldn’t have ended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ghost cats, doomed mermaids, dementia, Cicadas, sex, betrayal.

Memories, murder, war, mushrooms, zombies, werewolves, and aliens.

These are but a few of the topics touched on in Margaret Atwood’s fascinating collection of new poems.

Margaret Atwood builds magical worlds, mourns the cruelty and callousness in our world, and with her words invites her readers to dream with her of the past, the whimsical, the dark, and the future.

I adore Margaret Atwood and am so thankful to have received an ARC from #Netgalley to review her collections of poems #Dearly

In a range of titles, Margaret Atwood displays her talent for the written word in all its forms. Atwood has a talent for language to resonates in her prose as well as in these atmospheric reflections. Haunting and beautiful work.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

I'm not sure what I expected from Margaret Atwood writing poetry. There's a good variety of poem types and content. Some I really enjoyed. Others I found too specific or too heavy handed.

Overall it's an interesting collection!

Dearly by Margaret Atwood was a disappointment for me. After reading and enjoying Alias Grace and also loving poetry, I thought this would be an interesting read. I knew from the description that it covered a whole lot of topics. I was excited about the wide range, however, I felt it made it a little hard to swallow. I enjoyed a select few and the rest I really could not stand. I enjoyed that they were all short.

I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Ecco through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I had high expectations for Dearly, and it delivers. Some of these poems are quiet enough that I had to read them several times to make sure I was hearing what they had to say. Others made my heart ache in a way I couldn't quite come to terms with. Standouts for me were Carving the Jacks, which I will be promptly committing to memory, At the Translation Conference, and Blackberries. This is a must add to library collections.

Interesting collection of poems about love, loss, nature, the environment, and passage of time. Some very good poems and others so so.
ARC courtesy of Harper Collins Publishers through NetGalley. In Goodreads.

I love Margaret Atwood and I was very excited to receive a copy of her new poetry collection. As usual, her words are gorgeously crafted, and it's clear how talented she is within these poems. The collection ended up being a middle of the road book for me because I found some poems poignant and impressive and others a little too bland or on the nose. I think I expected more metaphors where stanzas became straight forward and unexciting. I did find myself highlighting some truly beautiful lines and I'm so glad I had the chance to read them.

Wonderful - a collection that is most likely to sell thanks to the power that is Ms. Atwood's reputation, but will stay on the shelf as a treasured edition. Her "Update on Werewolves" and "Editorial Notes" bring imagery as strong as her prose.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Margaret Atwood for providing me with an ARC of the title Dearly!

I absolutely adored this collection of poetry. These were so moving to me.. I found myself reflecting on a lot of things while reading. This was a great treat to pick up and read a few quick entries, or settle down and read page after page. Atwood is truly a gift and I enjoy everything she writes!

Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Many years ago when I was in college, I enjoyed reading poetry but in the years since, I've read very little poetry. This book has changed my mind. I loved it. Like with any collection, some poems were just ok but the majority of these were fantastic and I really enjoyed reading them. Most of the poems are short and Atwood has chosen every word carefully to help not only the cadence of the poem but more importantly the underlying theme. Some of the poems made me smile and some of them made me cry but most of them made me think and feel. I was gifted this book in ebook format but plan to buy a copy in hardcover so that I can keep it on my bookshelf and read some of the poems over and over.

I may be one of very few people never to have read anything by Margaret Atwood.  I am so happy to now have had the chance to spend some time with her poems. 


The poems are reflective and often moving.  One of my favorites was called Blackberries.  It is about fruit, growing older and generational connections.   Another elegiac poem called Blizzard is about the poet's mother getting older and how hard it is to let go.


Ms. Atwood covers a wide range of topics in this collection.  It is definitely worth either reading straight through in order or dipping into.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

As a longtime fan of both Atwood's novels and poetry, I was excited to read this poetry collection. Her poetry is very different in style than her novels, and this holds true in Dearly. Her poems are just as deep as her novels but also somehow softer. Since the poems in this collection are relatively short, she gives you just enough to feel her point. Like a bite sized snack with a burst of flavor. I think this poetry collection was stellar and I'm thankful that Atwood has given the world yet another wonderful book.

Many of the poems contained in this volume have been previously published in journals and anthologies, proving that Margaret Atwood, in addition to her other literary strengths, has been recognized for her poetry. In addition to these, there have been several books of poetry since early in her career. Like many, these poems present personal insight, focusing on inner life as well as ruminations on the cruelty and beauty of nature. Lovely.

Dearly by Margaret Atwood Craft is collection of poetry written in the last decade. Atwood addresses themes such as love, loss, the passage of time, the nature of nature and even zombies in her latest poetry collection.. Her new poetry is introspective and personal in tone, but wide-ranging in topic

I had previously read the Handmaid's Tale earlier this year and loved it. I couldn't wait to read more Atwood. Unfortunately, this collection of poetry just wasn't for me. Poetry can be very hit or miss for me and I think I would have enjoyed this collection more if the themes were more connected or entwined with each other.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I never knew Margaret Atwood was a poet as well as a novelist, but now I am hooked. I have enjoyed all of her novels I have read and I found her poetry to have something that was still distinctly her despite the difference in format. This collection was thought-provoking. I loved that each poem was the perfect length to read, digest, read again, and then go on to the next one. I look forward to reading these again in the future as I know that I will continue to get something different out of them each time. I will definitely be looking for more of Margaret Atwood’s poetry.

A witty and wonderful poetry collection from one of the most exciting living writers. Though it isn’t quite as precise and inquisitive as her novels, it is still an enjoyable and lovely book of poetry. Definitely recommend!

The only poems that really spoke to me were "Blizzard", "Cicada", "Lost", and "Dearly". The others felt more like a story whereas I really wanted to feel something.