Poetry > by Title (First Letter)

Advantages: Everything Oscar Wilde has written
Disadvantages: Cheap and tacky book won't last long

...has its flaws. Firstly the book is bulky and probably won't last long if your an avid reader. The print is small and the paper cheap. A true fan of wilde would probably be better off spending money on a decent edition of his works or buying their favourite pieces seperatly. That said the content of this collection is superb. It includes all the well-known pieces adn much that is less well-known but no less readable. Some of the early poetry is not ...
...know little about wilde. The intor is servicable but nothing special and is worth reading as an overview. Wildes works thought are welll worth reading. His plays are funny and perceptive commidies about victorian manners and society. His childrens stories are evocative fairy tales. The classic Dorian Grey is probably one of the best works of fiction produced in this era. To accompany all this there are the poems. The ballad of Reading Gaol stands ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent to study, brilliant to read
Disadvantages: Snobbery, too many allusions?

...perplexing and charming. The Waste Land is a bit of a mammoth of a poem, but takes you on a journey through despondency, hope and suffering, and is a must-read, taking up the Holy Grail Legend in a new light. His characters throughout are often depressed souls, whose lives have little purpose, and he tries to show you how spirituality can be your salvation from average, routine, mundane life. At times, however, Eliot loses us with his allusions to ... Read review

Advantages: a well selected collection of poetic verse
Disadvantages: difficult to engage with on first read.

As a listed A level curriculem author , this particular collection is extremely useful for study. It contains an excellent selecton of his works, that span the changes in his writing style. Including his famous poem 'death of a naturalist' the reader is introduced to one of Irelands greatest poets with one of my favourite poems of all time. For love of nature and its rythms, it's cruelties and victories the themes of our human questions about life, ...
...adore the use of the english laguage simply for its phonetic interplay, Heaney explores the links between his native gaelic and the english tongues. A treasure to keep, I would recommend this boook to any student of language, literature or poetry and to the layman would further recommend the purchase of a study guide to enhance the reading pleasure. ... Read review

Advantages: Classic Literature, Entertaining and Thought Provoking
Disadvantages: Old Language, Lengthy, Very Lengthy

...casting out of Eden, hence Paradise Lost. His version of 1st book of The Bible, Genesis. It is entertaining and thought provoking, bringing a fascinating chain of events into a story accesible by the people of his time. I really enjoyed reading (grafting :P) through it. It was tough but extremely fullfilling, to have found it entertaining to the last and to be able to say i've read one of the all time great pieces of English literature. It is ...
...of it was based around Paradise Lost. If you like fantasy (or perhaps reality?), were prepared to get a grasp on the language and, in all seriousness, were prepared to spend the next few years of your life reading it then read this book. Otherwise stick to modern day novels. Be warned, this is a heavy piece of English, not for the faint hearted. It's deep, long and hard to read. You have to really want to read it. I did and i enjoyed it. Hopefully ... Read review

Advantages: It's probably printed on recycled paper.
Disadvantages: It's dire. Totally dire.

There's a rule written somewhere which says "stick to what you know", and if Jewel had done this, as a Jewel fan, I wouldn't have to be writing this review. Jewel the musician is excellent, heartfelt and meaningful. How on earth this went on to be one of the best selling books of poetry in the US, ever, is simply inconceivable. This collection is basically distilled teenage angst, a pop star whining about her awful life while wearing Versace and ... Read review