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ori_gina_lity's review
4.0
I picked this small collection of Sandburg’s poetry up at one of my favorite thrift shops this fall. Spanning 40 years, Harvest Poems offers a great introduction to his prolific career. I related to many of the poems solely because of the wonderful depictions of the place I call home - the midwest. Sandburg describes so much movement, his words are like the wind…. constantly changing direction yet on a steady path. From man’s creation of skyscrapers being built up, and torn down, to the thinnest blade of prairie grass; reading these poems felt like a glimpse into a warmly lit house’s kitchen window on a cold, crisp night.
I particularly enjoyed Harvest Moon, Sea Wash, For You, From the Windy City, At the Gates of the Tombs, Phizzog, They Ask: Is God, Too, Lonely?, and Freedom is a Habit, There was a definite presence of togetherness in his poems, meaning in everything, that all are one in this constantly changing world… and I found something really striking about that idea. I’m terrible at articulating the certain kind of joy I get from poems like this, if you take anything away from my review let it be that I had a really nice feeling while reading this collection. I’m also in love with the fact that this edition fits in my winter coat’s pocket perfectly. 4/5 stars.
I particularly enjoyed Harvest Moon, Sea Wash, For You, From the Windy City, At the Gates of the Tombs, Phizzog, They Ask: Is God, Too, Lonely?, and Freedom is a Habit, There was a definite presence of togetherness in his poems, meaning in everything, that all are one in this constantly changing world… and I found something really striking about that idea. I’m terrible at articulating the certain kind of joy I get from poems like this, if you take anything away from my review let it be that I had a really nice feeling while reading this collection. I’m also in love with the fact that this edition fits in my winter coat’s pocket perfectly. 4/5 stars.
raloveridge's review against another edition
4.0
"Can bare fact make the cloth of a shining poem?"
Yup.
Yup.
ephret's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
quoththegirl's review against another edition
5.0
I've been feeling inexorably alive lately, and I believe it's because of all the Carl Sandburg I've been reading. It's nigh-impossible not to feel terribly alive when reading Carl Sandburg's poetry.
jbogerhawkins's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
This is a very intriguing volume of poems that spans the first half of the 20th century- Sandburg is clearly a progressive with an internationalist bent, so it’s interesting to see how he covers traditionally patriotic subjects (wwI, the death of presidents, etc.) in a way that’s not edgy per se but also not like “yay war!!!” A lot of it is specifically about the midwest, which doesn’t hit for me, but if you love Chicago I think it would be worth a read for the Chicago poems alone.
lcsmcat's review
4.0
There was more humor here than I anticipated. I preferred the early and late poems more than the middle, war year ones.
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