By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept

Though this is a very slim book, I'm still reading it. Smart's style is so dense that it almost requires a mental shift to get into her prose style, which is immersive and almost like an altered state. When I'm finally done, I might give it more stars, but at first, the style really turned me off. It felt overwrought; I can see the comparasin to Anais Nin, another sensual and immersive stylist. Sometimes it works and sometimes it just feels suffocating that you can't understand how someone could be that deep into their own thoughts and senses; it begins to feel narcissistic and like I said, suffocating.On the other hand, she has a very unique voice and I respect that.Post-script: now I get this book- and I've seen her sense of humor, especially when she says something to the effect of "lay off the stuff, Solomon, get pally with the gang", referencing the Song of Songs in a contemporary dismissive way that others may reduce her obsession to. This book requires careful reading as it is incredibly dense and the sentences have a lot of imagery, surrealism and literary references packed into them. I did find that she overused 'blood' and 'ghosts' a bit much, but this is a very striking work and now I can really see why people rave about it. Originally I gave it 3 stars as it just seemed overcooked to me, at the start, but once you adapt to living in her inner world you begin to understand her language better and you succumb to the rhythms and style.Must read more prose-poetry; what an amazing form.

I have to confess that I read this book because I was reading a book about The Smiths and this was listed as one of Morrissey's favourite/most influential books. Now that I've read it I can see the connection. There are actually lines from this books which got used as lyrics in some Smiths songs.The book stands on its on merits however. The writing is beautiful and poetic. The emotions are real and raw although not always admirable. The narrative loosely follows the author's affair with a married man, her crippling love for him regardless of all common sense and social taboos. She disgraces herself in the eyes of her family and society. She gives birth to illegitimate children by her lover while he forsakes his own wife and lawful children.To call this love intense would be a massive understatement. To call it rational or sensible would be just plain wrong. To deny it is beautiful would be blind.

Unlike any memoir or romance you've ever read, this has been called a "prose poem," but I would call it sheer poetry. Every line is cadenced, every paragraph holds a memorable metaphor and image. Written in the early 1940's while Smart was in the throes of passionate obsession, it is hot without being salacious. It doesn't have the overt sexuality of Anaïs Nin, but is nonetheless just as erotic. Smart fell in love with the poet George Barker in the most intimate fashion -- through the written word. By reading a volume of his poetry. Although they never married (he already had a wife), they went on to have four children together, but this was written just after the birth of her first daughter. This edition also contains The Assumption of Rogues and Rascals, written in 1978, which contains vignettes of what it was like living in England post World War II, but that doesn't carry the heat of Grand Central. It also contains a very informative introduction by Brigid Brophy.

Arrived in great condition ~ this is my favorite book ever! SO beautiful!

Ms Smart writes poetic prose, and you have to like this genre to enjoy the book. I loved it, but did feel frustrated at times that she simply wasn't giving her readers any real details about her life-long affair with poet George Barker.

This book is absolutely stunning; The way Elizabeth is able to create such vivid pictures through sensory detail is simply delightful to read. Although the story is heartbreaking, It's incredibly breathtaking. Now I understand why Morrissey alludes to it in his songs on so many occasions.

This is exquisite. I can’t read it without weeping. Highly recommend.

Deep, clever. This work masters the connection between the beauty of the language and the complexity of feelings.