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steveatwaywords's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
I wanted very much to read this collection of poetry, as I have admired the single doses of Ashbery I had received up to this point. So first, if you are seeking more traditional verse that opens itself to understanding, run away now.
This accounts for many of the reviews of Ashbery: his simple language nonetheless yields little comprehension. Half-utterances collide with others in non sequiturs which occasionally make reference to popular culture, more often to what appear inside jokes or private talks, all from the seeming musings of an elderly speaker gamely spry and moderately hip. This poetry was not "above my head"--I leave such claims for Blake or parts of Eliot. No, Ashbery here is just difficult: and that "difficult" is in his opacity to readers. His poetry isn't hard; the author is, and not for any reason that I can account for. The occasional nugget of wry insight (a promise of meaning, perhaps?) is quickly buried in the bizarre.
If the answer is that his poetry reveals a flippancy and irreverence to culture, events, and relationships, my response is that each of his works carries essentially this same unchanging message. Why read more than one? My fear is that, as this is one of his later collections, old John may be phoning it in.
But I admit to not having read near enough to make such a general claim. Instead, I will say that this is not a good entry point for Ashbery. Surely--surely--there is a better one.
This accounts for many of the reviews of Ashbery: his simple language nonetheless yields little comprehension. Half-utterances collide with others in non sequiturs which occasionally make reference to popular culture, more often to what appear inside jokes or private talks, all from the seeming musings of an elderly speaker gamely spry and moderately hip. This poetry was not "above my head"--I leave such claims for Blake or parts of Eliot. No, Ashbery here is just difficult: and that "difficult" is in his opacity to readers. His poetry isn't hard; the author is, and not for any reason that I can account for. The occasional nugget of wry insight (a promise of meaning, perhaps?) is quickly buried in the bizarre.
If the answer is that his poetry reveals a flippancy and irreverence to culture, events, and relationships, my response is that each of his works carries essentially this same unchanging message. Why read more than one? My fear is that, as this is one of his later collections, old John may be phoning it in.
But I admit to not having read near enough to make such a general claim. Instead, I will say that this is not a good entry point for Ashbery. Surely--surely--there is a better one.
casparb's review against another edition
I've not read much of JA's late work. Here, I had fun. I also feel I should say Good Luck.
A neatness too, eagerness for the present. these will float by a lot, but they're not impossible. Holy Grail, Batman!
A neatness too, eagerness for the present. these will float by a lot, but they're not impossible. Holy Grail, Batman!
malus23's review against another edition
2.0
This is something I read as a stretching my mind sort of exercise. I knew going in that the whole surrealist/post-modern style usually doesn't interest me, but he's a very prominent poet who I'd never read until now, so I settled in to try and connect with this. I can admire the technical aspect of it, however, one of the things I read poetry for in the first place is an emotional connection that pulls me into what the poet is saying. The gap on that personal level is simply too big here. I have no doubt that there are people who are intensely moved by some of these poems, but none of them really hit home for me, I was simply examining them from a distance without ever feeling connected. So I'm sure this deserves better on technical merit, but my ratings tend to be based on the purely subjective and personal, so I had to go with two stars as it was ultimately not what I want out of an experience. No regrets, but no repeats.
julziez's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
b_p's review
2.0
Ashbery is always... well, Ashbery. But later Ashbery is especially Ashbery. By "Ashbery", I mean frequently indecipherable avant-garde babble fodder. Maybe I'm not "NYC" enough to "get" Ashbery. Maybe, in my terminally uncultured state, I will be permanently reduced to "putting" far too many "words" in "quotation" "marks" while reviewing him. However, as in all Ashbery collections, there are some moments of hilarious poetry gold. Who says that Ashbery isn't trying to be funny? Among the WTF content of Breezeway, I still found many enjoyable moments.
Exhibit A:
"Forget any mistranslations, / miscommunications. The past / loves you, baby. / Go sandpaper a horse."
To be clear, I am all for experimenting with the English language. Poetry (especially with John Ashbery as leading linguist) is the perfect laboratory to conduct such madcap mischief. That being said, I cannot completely recommend this particular collection (to just any Goodreads/internet user) of Ashbery's work in good conscience. If you love Ashbery and/or poetry, go ahead. If you hate poetry or are at the very least skeptical of its value, this collection will only turn you off more. As somebody who recently constructed* a new bookshelf exclusively to house his collection of poetry, I fall into the former camp.
*Put together a bookshelf ordered from Target.com.
Exhibit A:
"Forget any mistranslations, / miscommunications. The past / loves you, baby. / Go sandpaper a horse."
To be clear, I am all for experimenting with the English language. Poetry (especially with John Ashbery as leading linguist) is the perfect laboratory to conduct such madcap mischief. That being said, I cannot completely recommend this particular collection (to just any Goodreads/internet user) of Ashbery's work in good conscience. If you love Ashbery and/or poetry, go ahead. If you hate poetry or are at the very least skeptical of its value, this collection will only turn you off more. As somebody who recently constructed* a new bookshelf exclusively to house his collection of poetry, I fall into the former camp.
*Put together a bookshelf ordered from Target.com.
tay_af's review against another edition
5.0
I’m not the biggest poetry person in the world but I really enjoyed this collection
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