A New Kind of Book Review

(Leaving Kerry - Trees in a Row)

(Red House - Dingle)


Tim Green of RATTLE has an excellent write-up in his blog about the need to have a new type of book review.

I totally agree with Tim and find the idea of such a book review really refreshing and inspiring. I have never done an official poetry book review as such but would actually enjoy giving this type of poetry book review a go....as a matter of fact, after having bought 5 new poetry titles from SALT, I am going to experiment with reviewing one book (or maybe more...depending on time) in this way and post it here.

This is what he says about the style that RATTLE would prefer to use for their book reviews from now on.

With all prose, RATTLE prefers a personal narrative style, and this is especially applicable with reviews. Poetry is a fundamentally subjective art -- the experience is always too intimate for absolute truth. Each reader brings their own baggage of aethetic tastes, personal histories, and present moods; even our own opinions can change drastically over time. Far too often our discussion of poetry ignores this fact, and we act as if it's possible for one person's reaction to be universal.

In an effort to overcome this schism, we ask that reviewers bring in as much of their personal experience with the text as possible. Tell us why you picked it up in the first place — did you know the poet, were you drawn to the cover, the title, what was it? Where did you read it? How long did it take? Were you transported immediately or did you daydream? Where did your thoughts drift? Which poems resonated with you and why? The speaker in the poem reminded you of your sister? Your experience of Brazil was different? You’re growing tired of poems about divorce? Why is that? Anecdotes and tangents are encouraged -- be creative! Personal stories make the reviews more entertaining to read at the same time as they make them more accurately reflect what poetry actually is.

What do you think of this type of book review? Is it more interesting/relevant...?
Would you be interested in reviewing like this? (Even better, would you like to join me in this experiment and choose a book to review like this...? ): )