Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

even if you don't want to face the truth of Emily being gay, there are UNCENSORED and UNCHANGED, DIGNIFIED editions now published of not only Emily's true poetry—but her true self, her true spirit, her true life, her true view of the world. Todd and anyone of her association did not have the intentions Emily did with the world's view of her poetry—newer publications such as "Emily Dickinson's Poems as she Preserved Them" (for one example…there are several others now) have not only the original, unchanged versions, but have identified variants for the different copies Emily made of the poems she changed slightly herself (for each edition she'd send out to different people if not copied exactly). Her work was not only changed to be more consumable to the public back then, but to keep up the lie that she was a quiet recluse, a purely silent genius, modest and gentle, heterosexual and/or asexual. No, she was a passionate poetess, a full-throttled lover of words (and of her sister-in-law…), an empowered feminist, a caring sibling and daughter—despite her father's strictness—, and an unquiet spirit above all else. She was never intended to be censored and never to be perceived as pure—she loved her morbidity and her sexuality, she loved to learn and be one with the world, she loved to write chaotically—unlike what Mabel Loomis Todd's edition (this one) will have you believe. The true persona of Emily is not found in this publication, nor is it in the film A Quiet Passion, or any single thing stating her as a recluse who wrote love letters to no one. Those letters were indeed written to her brother's wife, Susan, and her neatly written, perfectly rhymed poems were not that at all—they were as wild and wonderful as she, and you will not find those here. They not only redacted words but changed them. They redacted and reordered lines and punctuation, erased or replaced line breaks where there were many, and much more. If you want to find a comparison, find one that will not pay tribute to any estate of her censorers (I know that's not a word, but bear with me). DO indeed pay for any collected poems that state the variants and provide the true intentions of the beloved Emily. if you are stuck not in 2020 but in older times or have certain religious beliefs that prevent you from accepting Emily's true sexuality, you do not need to find ones that contain her letters to Susan, there are uncensored poem collections without mention of it, and I just want to be realistic here to those of you in those categories and still promote the truly intended literature of Emily's true heart. Above all else, she is an empowering author and extraordinary, irreplaceable poetess, and if you have read this and love these versions of her poetry, imagine how much more you will love them without the unnecessary revisions. Rest in Power, Poetess Dickinson.