The Virgin of Bennington

Rating:
Summary: Was the title picked by someone who had read the book?
Review: A valuable history of several decades of poetry and "poetry politics" in the United States. As many other reviewers have noted, the title has little connection, however, to the contents. This fact was annoying to me, and perhaps detracted from my appreciation of the book's contents.

Rating:
Summary: A great biography of Betty Kray
Review: If you're looking for a juicy read, this isn't it. If you're looking for more about the author Kathleen Norris, this will provide you with new information about her, but only about five percent of the material in the book covers her life at Bennington, and maybe 15 percent more covers her life in the '60s. The rest is an excellent biography about Betty Kray and her work at the Academy of American Poets. The book gives great incite into the workings of the Academy and its important contribution to poetry in the United States. Norris gives glimpses of the lives of various poets popular in the '60s.
Don't expect a spiritual revelation from this book. Do expect to learn a great deal about Betty Kray.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: This book has been poorly reviewed by the professional reviewers, and I believe Kathleen Norris has been badly advised by her editor. Perhaps it should have been entitled, "The Mentorship of KATHLEEN NORRIS, famous author, with biographical notes on her mentor." That is snottier than I had intended, but it does describe my feelings. I have read Norris' earlier works with great interest and benefit. I have recommended her books and poetry to many privately and in public places, but this book will receive none of that from me. There are at least three good books Norris could have written (a) a thoughtful, creative, but not didactic review of a Bennington education, (b) a coming-of-age memoir up to the time of the writing of "Dakota", and (c) a biography of Betty Kray, a person whose life sounds very worthy of a good biography. I give this book two stars out of deep respect for what Norris has meant to me in the past.