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_beckyzhong_'s review
4.0
This was a beautiful collection of poems. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a quick yet thought-provoking read.
“You see, I want a lot.
Perhaps I want everything
the darkness that comes with every infinite fall
and the shivering blaze of every step up.
So many live on and want nothing
And are raised to the rank of prince
By the slippery ease of their light judgments
But what you love to see are faces
that do work and feel thirst.
You love most of all those who need you
as they need a crowbar or a hoe.
You have not grown old, and it is not too late
To dive into your increasing depths
where life calmly gives out its own secret.”
“You see, I want a lot.
Perhaps I want everything
the darkness that comes with every infinite fall
and the shivering blaze of every step up.
So many live on and want nothing
And are raised to the rank of prince
By the slippery ease of their light judgments
But what you love to see are faces
that do work and feel thirst.
You love most of all those who need you
as they need a crowbar or a hoe.
You have not grown old, and it is not too late
To dive into your increasing depths
where life calmly gives out its own secret.”
hidingincorners's review
5.0
Did I cry? Absolutely. This is a stunning, raw, mystical collection. His use of language is reminiscent of modern dance, where every move is interpretive and meaning-driven. When you're thrown, it's in a meaningful direction. Astounding.
wmmcmanlypants's review against another edition
3.0
3.5* I had a lot of trouble rating this... I LOVED "Elegy" and "Miscarriage"... but aside from those two and several small images, I felt like a lot of the poems repeated themselves. I understand pulling from life events as content, however the poems felt like different outfits to the same emotion. So, that was difficult to determine how I felt about that. But one thing is certain, Young certainly knows how to END poems on a strong note, no matter the content!
annebennett1957's review against another edition
3.0
I usually love poetry volumes and savor each poem, sucking the marrow from each poem, but this collection of poems left me confused and wondering. I found few treasures within to relish and mull over.
andymoon's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful and haunting poetry about dealing with grief.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
4.0
What I love about most Kevin Young books is how he can flesh a wide range of topics while still holding to a theme. [b:Dear Darkness|2997082|Dear Darkness|Kevin Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388700131s/2997082.jpg|3027566] is one of my all-time favorite poetry collections.
Book Of Hours is a more focused collection, dealing with grief. And the poems in it are fantastic but it is Heavier than his other work. This is not a criticism or a complaint. It's a book about grief.
As someone not currently in a place of grief, getting through this collection was rough. There was no individual poem that I didn't find affecting but I had to keep putting the book down to go do more fun things, like put puppies to sleep while I watch Dancer In The Dark.
If you're in a place of grief, and need to wallow in brilliant poetic descriptions of loss, this is absolutely one of the books you should pick up. Otherwise, I would suggest only reading a couple of these poems at a time.
Book Of Hours is a more focused collection, dealing with grief. And the poems in it are fantastic but it is Heavier than his other work. This is not a criticism or a complaint. It's a book about grief.
As someone not currently in a place of grief, getting through this collection was rough. There was no individual poem that I didn't find affecting but I had to keep putting the book down to go do more fun things, like put puppies to sleep while I watch Dancer In The Dark.
If you're in a place of grief, and need to wallow in brilliant poetic descriptions of loss, this is absolutely one of the books you should pick up. Otherwise, I would suggest only reading a couple of these poems at a time.