Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

I have finally done it: I've read Emily's poetry in its entirety (well except the lost ones). This collection is brilliant for those of you who want to read Emily's poetry. Janet Gezari has spilt Emily's verse into 5 categories: poems published in 1846, dated poems, undated poems, poems of doubtful authorship and poems as edited by Charlotte in 1850. This makes reading them much more enjoyable as you can watch Emily's writing develop and see how she begins to experiment with her verse a little more.

The only reason I rated this down by half a star (*cue shocked faces*) is because there was the occasional poem that didn't interest me as much as the others. Sometimes, I find Emily's Gondal poems a little heavy (despite them being so interesting, and demonstrating her brilliance so wonderfully). Also, even though this shouldn't affect the rating as it's not technically Emily, I didn't enjoy Charlotte's revisions. It was so obvious to me that they weren't Emily's true and natural work; they felt utterly different.

Despite this, this was a lovely collection of poetry. Emily has such an enchanting way with verse. I definitely think her best ability lies with her nature poems; these are my ultimate favourites. They just click with me because I often understand and appreciate exactly what she is saying. If I've taken anything away from reading Emily's poetry in its entirety then it's the solidification that 'The Bluebell is the sweetest flower' is my favourite poem by her. This is such a paradoxical, heart-warming and tender read for me. I feel what she is saying on a spiritual(?) level.

I'd definitely recommend this!!!

I only really read this because it's Emily Bronte and I had it on my shelf. Poetry generally isn't for me, so I did struggle with this, but Emily does have a way with words and I did highlight some passages that will stick with me.

Phenomenal!

It is beautiful, but I do not like it. Poetry is not for me.