Reviews

Wonderful to listen to. Billy Collins is one of my favorite readers. He reads his poetry in an almost understated way that supports the emotional resonance of his words. He doesn't outshine his words?--I can't quite describe it. Just head to JPL Overdrive (website, free) and take advantage of the special abilities of your library card. I'll think differently the next time I see a lanyard or view the alphabet. So many wonderful things here. Listen.

toniclark's review

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3.0

I’m always so conflicted about Collins. I often like individual poems, but when I consider his body of work as a whole . . . I find it disappointing. Yes, some of his poems are amusing, or at least cute. A few even clever. Many are too fanciful to be taken seriously. Too many just fall flat. And he’s always writing (more or less) the same poem over and over. The poems feel formulaic, “humorous without actually being funny” (David Orr*) and too often self-congratulatory. As I wrote in my review of Horoscopes for the Dead, “Collins always seems to be caught up in a daydream, as if he has no particular work to do, place to go. He can idly muse about taking dead people (whose names he glimpses on headstones) for a ride on his copper-colored bicycle or make a sort of duck out of his hand and talk nonsense to it. There's no one listening, after all. Except we are. And sometimes I wish he actually had something more to say.”

See Orr’s review of Collins (not this collection) in The New York Times, January 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/books/review/08orr.html

tommyhousworth's review

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3.0

I'd never read nor listened to Billy Collins before this Audible audiobook purchase. I'd heard a variety of praise and criticism of his work and wanted to form my own opinion. My takeaway is that there are some truly lovely pieces here, and that there are also some poems that didn't connect. No big surprise there - even my favorite poets don't land a bullseye with me with every verse.

What stood out most is that so many of Collins' poems felt more like prosaic essays, just blocked out in unmetered verse. His wit and whimsy are reminiscent of his pal Garrison Keillor or essayist Brian Doyle. He is quite accessible, and I believe that's truly important for poetry, as too often, it is seen as something to keep enshrined in a tower. So, for someone to be so masterful at everyday observations is a gift that may open doors for those who are not too keen on poetry as an art form.

I believe I would appreciate this book more if taken in small bites. I listened to the entire 90 minutes (30+ poems) in one morning. However, as Poet Laureates go, I guess I am more attuned to Joy Harjo and Ada Limon than Billy.

I will say, if you are a big fan of Mr. Collins, I think you'll love this collection. I'm willing to give it a second go to see if I feel differently in the future, as there are many 4 and 5 star ratings here and I am curious as to what I may be missing.

rduncan's review

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

e_cobbe's review against another edition

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funny reflective slow-paced

I love Billy Collins’s poetry, although I wish he didn’t write quite so many poems about poetry itself.

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