The Emily Sonnets: The Life of Emily Dickinson

Gr 5 Up—Yolen joins the throng of writers who have celebrated Emily Dickinson with this slim set of 15 sonnets devoted to facets of her life. The selections are constructed in various voices, each identified by the poem's title. In the first five pieces, Emily speaks of the family's brick house, her close relationship with her sister Vinnie, her schooling, her variance with her family's religious beliefs, and the companionship of her dog. The strict poetry pattern, page after page, becomes repetitiously rhythmic, and a few images have a puzzling fit within their poem. Some terms and phrases echo Dickinson's poems, and each sonnet is complemented by an endnote of related biographical information. The other speakers-Vinnie, an anonymous critic, author and mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and Yolen herself-along with later pieces by Emily Dickinson, go on to tell of her always dressing in white, her life as a recluse, and her work. Niece Mattie reveals a playful side in the poet's relationship with her brother's children. Kelley's somber, full-page paintings reflect Emily's references to the grim mien of the Dickinson parents and also offer a sense of the poet's contemplative life. Yolen's personal tribute is framed in two concluding poems, a sonnet on Emily Dickinson's still-standing house, and a brief parting poem. The choice of topics and spare lines, along with the added notes, efficiently convey a full sense of Dickinson as person and poet.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston