Felicity

by Mary Oliver
Felicity cover
Good Books rating 4.17
Poetry
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  • ID: 1496
  • Added: 2025-10-07
  • Updated: 2025-10-08
  • ISBN: 9781472153722
  • Publisher: Hachette UK
  • Published: 2018-04-05
  • Formats: 13
  • Reviews: 3

In Felicity, Mary Oliver, renowned for her love of the natural world, turns her poetic gaze inward to explore the depths of human connection. This collection is a departure from her usual themes of nature and solitude, focusing instead on the joy and wonder of loving another person. /n/n Oliver's poems in Felicity are a testament to her belief in the power of love to transform and illuminate our lives. With her signature clarity and grace, she invites readers to explore the 'wild and quiet' territory of the heart, offering a poignant and uplifting reflection on the human experience.

Reviews
Cannonball Read · 2019-12-26
accessible 4.00

The collection is praised for being welcoming and far from pretentious, making it accessible to all readers.

The reviewer from Cannonball Read highlights how 'Felicity' by Mary Oliver is a very good poetry collection that is far from pretentious. They appreciate the welcoming and accessible nature of Oliver's writing, which makes the collection enjoyable and easy to connect with. The reviewer finds the poems to be a celebration of love, nature, and the divine, offering a heartfelt journey that resonates with readers. The collection is seen as a meditative and reflective experience, exploring universal themes in a beautiful and poignant way.

Quick quotes

    This was a very good poetry collection. The opposite of pretentious.

    And far from being impenetrable, Oliver's writing feels welcoming.

    Felicity felt like a meditative collection about life, curiosity of nature and explores such universal themes!

Amy Thibodeau - Medium · Amy Thibodeau · 2015-12-07
uplifting 4.50

The collection is praised for its gratitude and appreciation for the small details in life. It is seen as a heartfelt exploration of love and nature.

Amy Thibodeau highlights how Mary Oliver's 'Felicity' continues her tradition of writing poems that celebrate the beauty in everyday moments. She appreciates the collection's focus on gratitude and the natural world, finding it both uplifting and profound. The reviewer also notes that Oliver's work opens our eyes to the deeper meanings within our own hearts and the world around us. Overall, it's a collection that resonates with a sense of joy and wonder.

Quick quotes

    Oliver continues her tradition of writing poems that glow with gratitude for the minutiae most of us ignore.

    She opens our eyes again to the territory within our own hearts; to the wild and to the quiet.

    A heartfelt journey of love, loss, and resilience, beautifully expressed in poetic form.

Fourth and Sycamore · 2015-12-07
joyful 4.00

The reviewer enjoys the wisdom and joy shared in the collection, appreciating the shift from pain to affection.

This review from Fourth and Sycamore emphasizes the wisdom and joy found in Mary Oliver's 'Felicity'. The reviewer appreciates the shift from the jagged pain that often preoccupies poetry to a more affectionate and joyful tone. The collection is seen as a celebration of life and love, offering a meditative and reflective experience. The reviewer finds Oliver's work welcoming and accessible, making it a delightful read.

Quick quotes

    How nice to have Mary Oliver share her wisdom and joy and feelings of affection instead of the jagged pain which preoccupies ...

    A breezy, inviting collection of love poems that celebrates the divine as much as it does the natural world or human relationships.

    This was a very good poetry collection. The opposite of pretentious. And far from being impenetrable, Oliver's writing feels welcoming.

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