Reviews

Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis

alannabarras's review against another edition

4.0

This book is weird as shit. Definitely grab it if you see a copy. Its vers libre poetry (free verse), so the best way to read it is probably to pick and choose/skim to find the sections you like. All of the poetry is written by Archy the Cockroach, who lives in a newspaper office. He has many opinions about the meaning of life and the importance of unions, and frankly, he makes some good points.

Odd but fun, worth seeking out.

haliahli's review

5.0

Absolutely entertaining. I love the style, the words twisted into discourse, and the characters themselves. I wish there was more!

The version I have is 1927 doubleday & company. I'd like to read more of Don Marquis's works.

quoththegirl's review

5.0

I flew through archy and mehitabel by Don Marquis. Archy is a cockroach, and he types his poetry by hopping from key to key on the typewriter, so he’s can’t quite manage capital letters. He’s also not fond of punctuation. Mehitabel is an alley cat who believes she is the reincarnated form of Cleopatra. Don Marquis is the brilliant soul who was a journalist for The Evening Sun and began publishing the tales of Archy and Mehitabel in 1916. The poems are wickedly funny, with not a little satire sprinkled throughout. I highly recommend “the moth.” Here’s a bit of one of my other favorites, in which Archy is discussing the universe:

it is rushed
perhaps it has private
knowledge to the effect
that eternity is brief
after all
and it wants to get the big
jobs finished in a hurry
i find it possible to forgive
the universe
i meet it in a give and take spirit
although i do wish
that it would consult me at times
please forgive
the profundity of these
meditations
whenever i have nothing
particular to say
i find myself always
always plunging into cosmic
philosophy
or something

georgialilyw's review

3.0

I'm still not entirely sure how to read poetry. I just want to devour it like any novel, but then I feel as though I'm not appreciating the individual works as separate pieces. This was fun and weird, I love how silliness becomes trendy in cycles so to read something from 100 years ago that is this tongue-in-cheek is an interesting experience. But I should have dipped into it more slowly and taken my time. Still fun though!

racham1123's review

4.0

Enjoyable until the end. This book, full of free verse poetry, captivates the reader. I love how some of the 'chapters' are short and breezy where others are a lot deeper than they may appear. The story is a refreshing concept and entertaining. The only negative part would be that without the punctuation sometimes I would read the line breaks wrong and have to read it a second time. However, I wouldn't let that stop you from picking up this book.

akra's review

hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bjr2022's review

5.0

I am now the proud owner of a 1932 hardback copy of this book, the cover of which is not displayed on Goodreads--boo hoo--because it's gorgeous, as is this book. I have not finished reading it yet and now that I own it, that's okay; I'm going to take as darned much time as I want, savoring this hilarity.

There are some books that make you (aka me) feel a whole lot better about our species. That one of its members could write this makes me think there is hope.

suvata's review

3.0

The stories of Archy the cockroach and Mehitabel the cat first appeared in the 1916 newspaper column.

Archy the cockroach is a free verse poet. Mehitabel the cat claims that she has a human soul and has trans-migrated from body to body. She claims to have been Cleopatra at one point.

Each evening the author loads a fresh piece of paper in his typewriter before he goes home for the evening. He returns in the morning to find that Archy has furiously typed out his poetry and stories during the previous night.

This is such an unusual premise for a story but I couldn't help but give it more stars than what the content probably called for. Try as I might, I couldn't help but find myself lovingly in the minds of these creatures.

rubywhite's review

4.0

Quixotic.

emfred's review against another edition

5.0

This is one of my favorite books. Clever, fresh, and a fascinating look at news cycles and reactions from a long time ago, this book surprised me and charmed me. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something a little different from your normal fare.

Basic premise: a cockroach named Archy and a cat named Mehitabel, who claims to be the reincarnated spirit of Cleopatra, live in the basement of the a New York newspaper. They comment on current events and the culture of the time in verse form.