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kaylagreer's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
“Dare to be honest and fear no labor.”
c2pizza's review against another edition
5.0
As my good fortune would have it, I stumbled upon this great poet as I walked through George's Square in Glasgow and perused the statues and the names attached to them, the tallest and most central statue being of Robert Burns, of course. Some featured on other statues I'd heard of previously, James Watt and Sir Walter Scott, but who was this poet whose stature seemingly dwarfed them all to the Scots themselves?
A little research showed that he is the National Bard, and such titles always make me apprehensive as most supposed national poets I've read disappoint in conveying much of the national x,y, or z in their works, at least, to an outlander such as myself they often fail to catch us before we slip out of the rye that is national character contained in their works. The last part of that sentence is trash, it's an attempt to show that maybe I am misinterpreting them like Holden Caulfield misinterpreted Burns. Many apologies, most of them to Burns for mentioning that obnoxious brat in the same... Anyway, it took some time, roughly 10 years, to work up to reading Burns. Ten years where I'd see or hear him referenced in other works more often then you'd rightly expect someone who isn't Tolstoy or Dante to be referenced...
Contrary to a' that, Burns paints with a brush dripping in Scotland's landscapes and ruins, the Scottish people from the lowest to the highest ranks, her history, her auld drink, her cuisine, her politics, her vermin, her heroes, her vanities, her pets, her monsters and legends, her ancient feuds and most hated enemies, etc, and the canvas that the paint drips onto is, in my estimation (for what little it is worth), a vivid portrait of Scotland, at least as vivid as any national poet has ever painted, and I'm willing to include all the national poets I haven't read (a vast majority) in this recklessly bold claim; but Burns' writing also has a great charm in it's use of Scots dialect along with English. There's something of a mix of James Joyce and drunk Scottish twitter uses in some of the lines that pop out. That is, however, just a novel benefit of reading Burns. The real benefits are the literary merit, the excuse to drink that single malt Scotch, the nostalgia for Caledonia, and the intensity of feeling for even a mouse, even a louse, that the great writer gives. The Twa Dogs is my personal favorite of the poems I read.
A little research showed that he is the National Bard, and such titles always make me apprehensive as most supposed national poets I've read disappoint in conveying much of the national x,y, or z in their works, at least, to an outlander such as myself they often fail to catch us before we slip out of the rye that is national character contained in their works. The last part of that sentence is trash, it's an attempt to show that maybe I am misinterpreting them like Holden Caulfield misinterpreted Burns. Many apologies, most of them to Burns for mentioning that obnoxious brat in the same... Anyway, it took some time, roughly 10 years, to work up to reading Burns. Ten years where I'd see or hear him referenced in other works more often then you'd rightly expect someone who isn't Tolstoy or Dante to be referenced...
Contrary to a' that, Burns paints with a brush dripping in Scotland's landscapes and ruins, the Scottish people from the lowest to the highest ranks, her history, her auld drink, her cuisine, her politics, her vermin, her heroes, her vanities, her pets, her monsters and legends, her ancient feuds and most hated enemies, etc, and the canvas that the paint drips onto is, in my estimation (for what little it is worth), a vivid portrait of Scotland, at least as vivid as any national poet has ever painted, and I'm willing to include all the national poets I haven't read (a vast majority) in this recklessly bold claim; but Burns' writing also has a great charm in it's use of Scots dialect along with English. There's something of a mix of James Joyce and drunk Scottish twitter uses in some of the lines that pop out. That is, however, just a novel benefit of reading Burns. The real benefits are the literary merit, the excuse to drink that single malt Scotch, the nostalgia for Caledonia, and the intensity of feeling for even a mouse, even a louse, that the great writer gives. The Twa Dogs is my personal favorite of the poems I read.
tragedeke's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
4.75
a man of many words and even more girlfriends
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