#44PoemsonBeingwithEachOther #NetGalley
This title will speak to so many. After all, we all are in relationships and many of us want to spend a bit of time contemplating them, perhaps with the hope of doing better. O Tuama is a great guide and makes this collection accessible, even to those who may think that they don’t want to or can’t read poetry.
Begin with the introduction or, if tempted to begin with a poem, return to the introduction later. It gives a sense of who O Tuama is and his attitudes toward life. He is an engaging guide.
O Tuama offers poems by those who are perhaps more or less well known. A few of those whose names I recognized were Rita Dove, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton and Wendy Cope. That said, the poets whose names were unfamiliar gave me much to think about beginning with the first poem in the collection called A Word on Statistics. I highly recommend it.
For each work, O Tuama provides commentary. These are insightful and deepened my appreciation of the poetry.
This is a book that I will return to many times. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley & W.W. Norton and Company for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 04 February 2025
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 