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Red Bird: Poems Review
This collection of sixty-one new poems, the most ever in a single volume of Oliver's work, includes an entirely new direction in the poet's work: a cycle of eleven linked love poems—a dazzling achievement. As in all of Mary Oliver's work, the pages overflow with her keen observation of the natural world and her gratitude for its gifts, for the many people she has loved in her seventy years, as well as for her disobedient dog, Percy. But here, too, the poet's attention turns with ferocity to the degradation of the Earth and the denigration of the peoples of the world by those who love power. Red Bird is unquestionably Mary Oliver's most wide-ranging volume to date. "Mary Oliver has done it again. She has assembled a collection of poems that is moving, intense and evocative in its engagement of the natural world. Yet this latest book by the Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winner is distinctive among her 17 volumes for the dark undercurrent that runs through the poems . . . the hard lesson that this earth is fallen and fragile, now more than ever, and unless we learn to cherish the world, we will destroy it . . . The song Mary Oliver sings in Red Bird is the song she has always sung, but now more urgent, more needful, more true." —Angela O'Donnell, America magazine, April 28, 2008 "Last April, Book Sense's poetry bestseller list included two titles by Billy Collins. This year the Top 5 can be summed up in six words: Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver. Oliver's impressive feat reflects both an enduring popularity and an unparalleled ability to touch readers on a deep, almost primal level." —Elizabeth Lund, The Christian Science Monitor, April 15, 2008 "Mary Oliver celebrates the creatures she observes on Cape Cod in "Red Bird" (Beacon), her 17th book of poetry. A longtime resident of Provincetown, Oliver, at 72, is among the nation's most popular poets . . . Oliver's grief ripples through the book, as does an unwavering sense of gratitude for the moment, the memories, and her trusty dog, Percy." —Jan Gardner, Boston Globe, April 13, 2008 "Mary Oliver is 70 years old and still 'in love with life' and 'still full of beans' as she notes in 'Self-Portrait.' She savors the ocean, visits a graveyard, salutes a red bird in winter, heeds the invitation of a group of goldfinches to attend their performance, and finds lessons in teachings of an owl and a mockingbird. We depend on this poet for her hallowings in the animal kingdoms. We look to her for a reverence that lifts up and celebrates the little things in nature." —Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice, April 9, 2008 "In Red Bird, Oliver maintains the lyrical connection to the natural world that has made her work so popular. But in the new book she speaks even more loudly than usual against mankind's growing list of abuses of the planet, while celebrating such seemingly ordinary creatures as crows." —Poets & Writers, March/April 2008 "One of few avidly read living poets, Oliver revels in the beauty of the living world, and takes to heart its lessons in patience and pleasure, cessation and renewal. As piercingly observant as ever in this substantial and forthright collection, Oliver is rhapsodic." —Donna Seaman, Booklist, March 1, 2008 "Mary Oliver, who won the Pultizer Prize in poetry, is my choice for her joyous, accessible, intimate observations of the natural world . . . She teaches us the profound act of paying attention—a living wonder that makes it possible to appreciate all the others." —Renee Loth, Boston Globe "It has always seemed . . . that Mary Oliver might leave us any minute. Even a 1984 Pulitzer Prize couldn't pin her to the ground. She'd change quietly into a heron or a bear and fly or walk off forever." —Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times "'My work is loving the world,' Oliver tells us . . . She has always done that work . . . in poems of considerable beauty. Now she rises, not above the world, but through it." —Jay Parini, The Guardian User Submitted Red Bird: Poems ReviewsNovember 25, 2008 Extraordinary and Compelling I had the privilege of seeing Mary Oliver in person; her physical appearance was so like her poetry. Human, present, honest and brilliant. A woman asked her a question, then the woman began to cry and the audience came to a slightly embarrassed quiet. Mary called out "Are you crying?" The woman barely answered, but one could hear her say "yes". "Good for you" said Mary, which just about brought the house down with sympathy and relief. This was shortly after her partner died; the book is full of her courage, grief and ability to recognize the wonders in life even as her heart is aching. A must read for every woman who has ever expressed a love of poetry. August 18, 2008 Loved it. I cannot get enough of Mary Oliver's poetry. "Red Bird" is one of her best. She takes you to the world of birds and wildlife in ways that help you see life differently. Peaceful yet sad. Moving. July 21, 2008 Red Bird Some typical and upbeat poetry. But, felt some contents were a little less than author's usual standard. That the collection of work was stretched to fill the necessary pages to complete such a book. Several inclusions were not ones which would normally be expected in such an author's work. Blurb cleverly overwrote this ... Talking up the variety of work as though it was an extended range of new poetic scope ... rather than a probably extended range of choice of inclusion. Having said that, I believe author is recovering from death of partner ... and she does have a strong following. Imagine, like me, her followers would be pleased that there is some continuing publication of her work. But, felt the publishers could be more honest about the contents .... or perhaps to have offered a slimmer edition... under the circs... and have trusted the loyalty and interest of followers of this author .. to make a marketing success of the slimmer publication. In this way, I believe gaining many, rather than estranging some a little.... such as me. July 12, 2008 Lovely, lyrical I read a short review of this book and purchased it as a result. It is the first book of poems I have ever bought and it is worth every penny. The writing is evocative, lyrical and brilliant. The poems often take you to a place that you have been yearning to go to; places of peace, reflection and innocence. June 27, 2008 a pleasure Who can resist Mary Oliver's poems, word pictures and thoughts. If this is your first introduction to Oliver, you won't be disappointed. Read it in a garden spot, or at the seashore, in nature, anywhere. June 5, 2008 What a joy! Sit down with an old friend.Like William Stafford , Mary Oliver is a poet you'd like to have dinner with. Her poems involve us with nature and its impact on our souls.A rallying cry for the preservation of all living things. May 6, 2008 The Extraordinary Voice of the Ordinary World Are you familiar with the poetry of Mary Oliver?" I asked a student once in the hope of beginning a conversation on the poem "Wild Geese," a gem that contains the lines You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. en route to the statement "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,/the world offers itself to your imagination." This was the line I wanted in the hope of beginning a conversation on inspiration. "I think so," the young woman squinted, the better to scan a distant memory. "I think that's the lady who writes about, like, her dog, Percy, I think and trees. That her?" "You can start there," I said. "And you will get to Mary Oliver." Because Mary Oliver's poetry is about this moment in this world in this light in this weather, alone or with the dog or on the way to something or nothing. It's about being here and loving it. I believe there is nothing worth saying about Mary Oliver. Better to spend the time reading her work, or revisiting the magic of the landscape of your life. Her new collection Red Bird is her 12th volume of published poems. Here she speaks to the beauty of the ordinary, the environment, and the people of the world who suffer at the hands of those who love power. The world offers itself to your imagination. Accept the invitation and walk with this wonderful woman from Provincetown, Massachusetts. May 5, 2008 Book is good but arrived damaged Amazon did a terrible job packaging this book for shipping and the front jacket was bent and damaged. I won't buy another collectible book from Amazon again. May 2, 2008 Present Moment Beauty How beautifully we are invited in this most beautiful of Mary Oliver's books, to cease our restless strivings, to simply stand still, to listen, to watch, and to breathe in in gratitude for all that Life presents! Her words paint the invitation for us in tones that are sometimes as gentle as water-colours, sometimes as vibrant as a rich oil painting, revealing her awareness in the moment, telling us so much about her own love for life in all its forms. One of her great gifts is that ability to draw us to her as well as to the miracle of life around us, so that we have the feeling of walking the same path with her in companionable joy each moment. - It has been a great read, one that has brought much peace and a feeling of tranquillity and wellbeing to my spirit. April 3, 2008 "Red Bird" Fly's Mary Oliver's simple, spiritual, nature infused poetry was never better. She teaches us all to watch all the details of Gods creations without preaching. We learn from the movement of her poetry, to recognize a cardinal when he lands, to know the names of all of natures wonders: pine needles and prairie dogs, cypress and elm,and we love the class as we learn. She faces life's curve balls with the wit and eye of a portrait painter who sees the tattered dress she wears as a badge not a burden. And she is aging so gracefully. I hope I do as well. For more Red Bird: Poems reviews click here.
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