Book Review · 17th July 2023

A Poetry Handbook

Mary Oliver. Mariner Books. (130p) ISBN 9780156724005

A Poetry Handbook

A Poetry Handbook

This book was bought as part of the idea of me developing as a writer, and I’ve been buying books to do that for several years now and not reading them.

I’ve always felt daunted by the idea of being a writer, but always wanted to try.

This was doubly so with poetry as the only poetry deemed suitable for a working-class Scot of a certain age was Burns, and I just found it a bit twee and inaccessible.

I’d been told that this was a good book to read to start that journey back into poetry.

Let’s just state I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was written with such enthusiasm it fair pulled me through.

Each chapter talks about a different aspect of making a poem and explains some of the words and phrases I never really could get my head around, such as iambic and feet, in such a way that I felt confident in my understanding of them.

Whilst explaining these words and phrases there are exemplar poems that show the meaning so well with no ambiguity and this has made it so easy for me to remember what these are, though no doubt I’ll be revisiting this book as I go on.

This is a great book for those such as myself trying to find a way into the world of poetry and unsure of where to start.

I also feel that it would be a great book for those more experienced as it is a quick refresher full of enthusiasm and support if you ever feel the need for it.


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