PositiveHarvard Magazine\"... any reader who picks up the book will immediately realize that the Anne Sexton-Maxine Kumin friendship provides its narrative backbone and emotional core. In many ways, this is a wise decision, since the two women are charismatic characters who offer an intimate glimpse into how the institute nurtured their creative process. The rich sources available to document that influence are also a huge plus ... But at times this focus threatens to take over the story ... Sexton\'s eventual suicide in 1974 looms large ... The Equivalents is most successful when it keeps close to the story of its five main protagonists. It captures the joy of their mutual friendships and how they depended on each other for encouragement and support ... when Doherty wanders too far from her collective biography, however, she sometimes loses her way ... We have Maggie Doherty to thank for bringing this story, warts and all, to new readers who are left contemplating what \'messy experiment\' we should be considering for our own perilous times.
