Our World

'Our World' is a pleasingly presented book. Intended to depict the life shared by Molly and Mary (Oliver). It relies on journal notes by Mary and photographs by Molly... recalling conversational moments between them, times with friends,and shared ventures into galleries, publishing, etc. It succeeds in its intention .. and is a pleasant glimpse into their life... poignant in view of Molly's death in recent years. I find it to be a little too distant and a good degree removed from their real relationship and life .... rather it relies on anecdotal episodes ... glimpses .. and momentary flashes. Pleasant - Yes. Deeply told, or fundamentally informing of their real life - No.

This is a great read. I had just heard of Mary's work and ordered quite few of her books. They are all wonderful. She has such a wonderful way to look at nature and the world in general.

OUR WORLD BY MARY OLIVER IS A MEMOIR AND A TRIBUTE TO MS. OLIVER'S LONG TIME PARTNER AND FRIEND WHO WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER OF NOTE. MANY OF MS. OLIVER'S PARTNER'S PHOTOS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK. FOR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE MS. OLIVER'S POETRY, THERE ARE NOT MANY POEMS IN THIS MEMOIR. IT IS A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE BOOK, HOWEVER, AND ONE THAT GIVES THE READER A GLIMPSE INTO HER PRIVATE WORLD. ANNA M. SEIDLER

I just loved this book. Somehow it opened an intimate window into the life of Molly Malone Cook, without ever disrespecting the sacred nature of her life. Mary Oliver does this with grace. They clearly shared their lives together, yet still kept their individuality intact. Mary Oliver remarks, towards the end of the book, on her own recognised gift for attention. She goes on to pay tribute to Molly for teaching her this: "attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An openess - an empathy - was necessary is the attention was to matter." This tribute inspires me to continue the journey towards greater presence in my life.

Simply the name Mary Oliver causes a shift in my countenance and my being. My steps are different when I am present to who she is as a writer and human being, so it shouldn't surprise me, what happened this morning. I was minding my own business walking across my local bookstore when I heard the sound of wind rushing from my mouth. It was like the jolt happened so quickly my brain couldn't quite orient around the words, "Our World" and the names Mary Oliver and Molly Malone Cook. I had no choice. I had to stop all my other book plans and sit with this one, just be with it, soak it in, allow it to do its work on my soul as I knew intuitively it would. Last winter I became the self-appointed one woman marketing machine for Mary Oliver's "Thirst" - a collection of poetry written as she grieved the loss of her life partner, Molly Malone Cook, someone who I never knew yet felt I knew through reading Oliver's work. I stood at a bookstore crying as I read that book, sobbing, openly - aching and simultaneously being stunned by the beauty of the poetry. Now, in this volume, not only do I have words - I have Molly Malone Cook's photography. It is like being invited into the most intimate chambers of a lifetime soul-love affair. It is deeply personal, extremely intense memoir of love. That energy is on each page as Oliver builds a model of appreciation for Molly Malone Cook for us all to follow. Now, the "other" juicy stuff - photos by Molly Malone Cook that show a deep love and appreciation of books, of learning, of activism, of art and of the "faces of the world" - one of her early childhood ambitions, so it tells us in the text "was to see every face in America." Well, in these photographs "every" face is, indeed, communicated. We see photographers, playwrights, restaurateurs, activists and places the writers and artists among us dream about seeing. There are too many numerous memorable quotes to share here - and I don't want to take away your own discovery of words that speak directly to you. I know I will be forever grateful for the work of Mary Oliver and this volume amplifies that gratitude by bringing Molly Malone Cook to life for me in a more vivid way than in the past. I can only hope there will be many more opportunities for my heart and breath to be swept away, simply by seeing this author's name on a book jacket.