Poetry > 25 GBP and more Poetry

Advantages: Poignant Scottish poetry
Disadvantages: Too short?

Although some may be put off by the 'Scottish' reference in the title, if you have any love for poetry at all, give this little book a chance, and if you haven't been touched by any of the poems by the end of the book, ask for your money back. At only 64 pages, the book isn't uncommonly short for a poetry anthology, in fact more than this would probably have you in tears. Although the author is listed here as Lizzie MacGregor, there are many other ...
...Liz Lochhead. Lochhead makes several suggestions for use of the poetry, but it's clear right from the beginning that, Scots or not, this is a collection of poems for the celebration of love. There are poems from the well-known authors you'd expect in a volume of Scottish poetry (e.g. Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson) and also contemporary Scots poets - Sheena Blackhall's 'Haunfast' is particularly appropriate as the first poem in a book devoted ... Read review

Advantages: Ballad style poetry: easy to read and to listen to
Disadvantages: Makes you try to look deeper

“The Hunting of the Snark”, a poem by Lewis Carroll, was first published 1876. Lewis Carroll, the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, is best known for 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', probably the only book of his that the majority of people remember. But 'Alice' was not his only work. Carroll wrote a variety of other works including humorous prose and poetry and mathematical treatises. “The Hunting of the Snark”, is often referred to as a ...
...the poem is in parts absurd. Written in ballad form with rhyming alternate lines, it is easy to read and to listen to. Many people claim that the poem is in reality not nonsense but a satirical social comment on the church, law, exploration and medical ethics. Some even say it is another example of Carroll’s sexual repression. And yes there are scenes in the poem representing trails, vivisection, an artic expedition and religion. Some lines can be ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read, great for kids.
Disadvantages: if you dislike cats.

This book of poetry is upon which 'Cats, The musical' is based upon. The rythmical reading of Shimbleshanks: the Railway cat is just beautiful and i would suggest any parents with children interested in cats or pets should but this, it'll keep them entertained night after night and they will probably start joining in with funny lines and the clap of the 'train' rhyme. Even if you haven't seen Cats you'll still enjoy this book. If you and children ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read
Disadvantages: too thoughtful and melancholy for some

I really enjoyed reading this collection of poetry. Plath has a graphic imagination evident in poems such as 'Cut' and her imagery is at times explicit but so apt. 'Morning song' is yet another beautiful poem. The title plays upon the two seperate meanings of 'morning' and 'mourning'. Describing a mother's feelings after birth, Plath describes her as 'cow heavy' using the image of the lactating mother and effortlessly transferring it to the accurate ...
...Plath's poetry is as intriguing as her life. People might suggest her poetry is depressing and such but i urge you to read it. She has such a way with words. Also i would highly recommend reading 'The Bell Jar'. A fascinating insight into the world of insanity through the eyes of a young girl. ... Read review

Advantages: Strong yet simple messages
Disadvantages: May be hard to understand these messages fully for younger readers

Beautiful poems, with both simple and complex meanings and I definitely recommend it to anyone who appreciates poetry or literature. After studying Heaney's poetry for GCSE, and loving it, I personally went to Heaney's birthplace in Ireland, and now all his poems have an even more vivid meaning to me. My 2 favourites - 'Death of a Naturalist' and 'Digging' 'Death of a Naturalist' tells of a young boy's fascination with nature, presented through ...
...and 'sweltering'. Heaney uses imagery and phonology to great effect, and contrasts the boy's emotions to those of the reader. In the 2nd stanza, we return to the pond scene, but now the narrator - presumably Heaney - is terrified by the violent, grotesque nature of frogs, contrasting his earlier love for frogspawn. 'Death of a Naturalist' reflects growing up, and how children lose their childhood fancies as they mature. 'Digging' tells of a man - ... Read review