Rating: 
Summary: Poetic Dysfunction
Review: Here's one of those fun novels where none of the characters fit under the bell curve for normalcy. Not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you. This collection of slightly bent individuals dwells in the environs of the poetry department of an eastern university. The main character, Anabelle, is an undergraduate assistant to a celebrity poetry professor named "Z". Anabelle so worships poetry and her boss that no assignment is too trivial and demeaning for her. Then there is her boyfriend who is a Joyce buff who makes her dress like Nora and do things to her privates while he ogles her and types his great novel. We are then subjected to passages (mercifully brief) from his great work that bring to mind classrom writings from my 3rd grade classmates. The inhabitants of "Apprentice" (which include a poet named Braun Brown) variously indulge in lesbianism, student seduction, incest, adultery, plagiarism, and, worst of all, abysmally awful poetry writing. It's fun to read the atrocious poems that pop up from page to page, although I must admit to a little embarrassment in that regard. After reading one poem, and mentally trashing it for its apparent total lack of merit, I come to find in the next paragraph that it is an actual poem by D.H. Lawrence. Oh, well. You chuckle and enjoy yourself as you read each page, but then when the book ends you don't feel like you have had a full meal with this literature light read. I don't regret reading it, and probably will look into Ms Weinstein's next novel. It just doesn't hold its own with some of the academic parody greats by such authors as Russo, Lodge, and Kingsley Amis.
Rating: 
Summary: Scathing and delightful
Review: I don't know much about history, don't know much geography - and I know diddly-squat about poetry...but now I know a whole lot more! Debra Weinstein's book, Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z, is a painless way to learn a bit about the intent, construction, deconstruction, and composition of poetry - and at the same time it's a scathingly delightful skewering of the academic world of poets.
I began reading this book with skepticism and reluctance (it was a gift), but Weinstein's catty, breezy, self-revelatory style of writing quickly won me over - and I raced toward the conclusion with a grin on my face.
Set-up: a young poet accept a position as assistant/apprentice to a well-known poet/teacher and quickly is absorbed into the woman's artifice, dishonesty, and her weirdo family/lover relationships.
This satirical book pretty much defies classification; just read it on faith. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Funny at times but by no means great
Review: I enjoyed reading this book and recommend this to anyone interested in poetry and the High Literata world. She exposes the phoniness in academic workshops, and her main poet, Z, reminded me a cross between Jorie Graham and Sharon Olds, who are both bad poets. The 'poems' she includes in this book are typical, MFA'd generic, banal prose broken into lines (much like Louise Gluck) which works for this book because it captures the pretense that exists in the literary world & the poor writing these'poets' put out. Weinstein also does a good job of capturing the "Cult of Personality" that many of these poets have, showing that it's not good writing that got them there, but who they are, since the poems are so bland they could have been written by anyone. It makes me wonder if this was her intent- regradless if she thinks the poems are bad or not doesn't matter. They are clearly trite piffle & any good poetry reader could see this. I tend to doubt that Weinstein is a good poet herself- I can tell by her prose that she most likely is not. Also, she makes a point once in the novel saying how she doesn't understand why Plath and Lowell got so famous for thier miserable lives, while some unknown mediocrity poet didn't. Well, the point she didn't address is that Plath is a great poet and Lowell a very good one-and more than likely the so called "unknown" is unknown because their writing is not good. (Just like Olds, who is pretty much a knock-off of Plath and Sexton today, only she's 40 yrs too late & says nothing new). Also, the definitions of 'what poetry is' are funny- the mealy-mouthed ramblings from that of the professors do a good job of capturing the PC Elitism that dominates the writing world today. And how nothing should be criticized, but all 'loved' despite its flaws. This is the types of BS workshops preach- they focus much more on a writer's INTENT versus RESULT.
With all that, my only crit then would be to say the ending is weak. The idea of the novel within a novel is okay, but she should have changed the title to be something other than the exact one of the book. By the end- the story does drag, and I think overall this book is too long. The relationship with Harry was funny in poking fun at all the artsy wannabes who try to relive other artist's lives. And Mrs. Van Elder, the critic, is that supposed to be Helen Vendler? Possibly. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who wants to see the poetry world made fun of, but I do so with reservation because the story starts to sag in the middle-to end & her writing is not good enough to sustain itself without the satire, which makes me think she's not a good poet herself (no good poets are published in the APR). She also played it SAFE when she mantioned no bad poets, and not ripping into the Donald Halls and Maya Angelous of the world, saying how one of the reasons no one reads poetry today is because 1- there is too much being published and 2- it is all terrible.
Rating: 
Summary: Finest kind and then some, says Kat from Readerville
Review: I read such a marvelous, amusing and brilliant novel today: Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z. by Debra Weinstein. By turns morbidly then innocently funny, high wit and low, searching and cynical, finest kind indeed. And, the writing -- dear god, it's a marvel and a gift. A young under-grad poet-in-training from Long Island lucks into a fellowship in Manhattan with a highly respected poet and, dear reader, this is their story. Wow and wow. A must-read for anyone who has an interest in good novels, poetry, luscious language, insightful stories amusingly told, Manhattan, the academic milieu. My only regret on reading this book is having read it since it won't ever again be unknown ground to me. I fully expect to see this title on some of the award long and short lists for this year. This is the sort of novel I stand up for ... it's that good, and how.
Rating:
Summary: Fun to read and smart
Review: I truly enjoyed Weinstein's book. Her prose is spare and beautiful, and her love of poetry shines through. This book contains a varied cast of characters, but hidden underneath the humorous surface is an education of the behind-the-scenes world of poetry and academia. If you have ever been to college, studied with a "star" professor, or ever had a boss who was self-obsessed, you will gleefully identify with the "Apprentice".
Rating:
Summary: The things we do for poetry.
Review: In her first novel, Debra Weinstein, tells the wicked-funny story of creative writing student and aspiring poet, Annabelle Goldsmith, and her apprenticeship to the famous flower poet Z. "This is the story of how I came to momentary prominence in the world of poetry," Annabelle tells us, "and, through a series of misunderstandings, destroyed my good name and became a nobody" (p. 3). Because of her naivete, Annabelle ultimately becomes little more than a personal assistant to her self-absorbed literary mentor. When Z exploits Annabelle by sending her on personal shopping errands to buy blue, burgundy, and purple hand towels, "jet black, not midnight black, not shoeshine black" ink, and silk boxers, in addition to conducting botanical research, Annabelle's academic dream job soon deteriorates into pure hell. In an erotic subplot, Annabelle becomes immersed in an affair with an older graduate student, Harry, who expects her to play Nora (naked, except for high heels and gloves) to his James Joyce. Z is a more fascinating and well-developed character by far than Annabelle. An interesting character study in narcissism, Z is equally charming and detestable, yet in the end, hardly "the finest poet writing in the English language" (p. 13) Annabelle believes her to be. Though plagued with a disappointing ending, which employs a novel-within-a-novel conceit, Weinstein's tale will nevertheless appeal to readers (like me) with a passion for poetry, and to readers (like me) who have experienced academic life in a college English department or creative writing program. Readers who enjoy this genre of fiction should also experience Tobias Wolff's OLD SCHOOL. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: The things we do for poetry.
Review: In her first novel, Debra Weinstein, tells the wicked-funny story of creative writing student and aspiring poet, Annabelle Goldsmith, and her apprenticeship to the famous flower poet Z. "This is the story of how I came to momentary prominence in the world of poetry," Annabelle tells us, "and, through a series of misunderstandings, destroyed my good name and became a nobody" (p. 3). Because of her naivete, Annabelle ultimately becomes little more than a personal assistant to her self-absorbed literary mentor. When Z exploits Annabelle by sending her on personal shopping errands to buy blue, burgundy, and purple hand towels, "jet black, not midnight black, not shoeshine black" ink, and silk boxers, in addition to conducting botanical research, Annabelle's academic dream job soon deteriorates into pure hell. In an erotic subplot, Annabelle becomes immersed in an affair with an older graduate student, Harry, who expects her to play Nora (naked, except for high heels and gloves) to his James Joyce. Z is a more fascinating and well-developed character by far than Annabelle. An interesting character study in narcissism, Z is equally charming and detestable, yet in the end, hardly "the finest poet writing in the English language" (p. 13) Annabelle believes her to be. Though plagued with a disappointing ending, which employs a novel-within-a-novel conceit, Weinstein's tale will nevertheless appeal to readers (like me) with a passion for poetry, and to readers (like me) who have experienced academic life in a college English department or creative writing program. Readers who enjoy this genre of fiction should also experience Tobias Wolff's OLD SCHOOL. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: What I Needed
Review: Lately I have been suffering from an inability to complete a complete work of fiction, this novel ended my streak. I was enthralled from beginning to end. Annabelle is a likeable character that you cannot help rallying for.
Rating:
Summary: Take your Ph.D. and ....
Review: We need more novels written by poets. The language here is spare and brilliant. The world must be filled with folks who have felt much like this apprentice whose fate is to be smitten with a narcissist. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions and remembered what it feels like to dance so hard for so little attention. This is a brilliant satire and a delicious romp around a not so unique department in the academy. Read it and laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly wonderful
Review: Weinstein captures not only the life of a budding writer in the world of academia well, she also hits all the right notes in the relationship between her narrator and the poet Z. It's an engrossing book that's hard to put down and I was impressed with the fresh and sly tone of the entire story. Although the conclusion is appropriate, I wished for more and would've liked just a few more twists and turns before having to close the book. Still, this is one of the better novels I've read in the last few years and I highly recommend it.
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