Reviews

The Golden Mean by John Glenday

thebeardedpoet's review against another edition

5.0

John Glenday's poetry reminds me of poets like Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott, and Carol Ann Duffy. Included here are some great monologues, drawing on literary characters (such as Frankenstein's creature) or historical persons. The era most referenced in The Golden Mean is WW I. We hear from families who suffered loss, soldiers dutifully served, and from the dead as they march home. For time to time, the mood is lightened with playful lyrics. Also Glenday's poems repeatedly display the power of a metaphor to illuminate universal meaning. And he knows how to land killer last lines. This is a collection I will read over and over again because it is the perfect text for a master class in how to write poetry in English!

tearsofthetinman's review against another edition

4.0

55 pages of varied and different poems. Constellations was my favourite