Animal Soul (Contemporary Classics Poetry series)

Rating:
Summary: disapointing
Review: For the past couple of years I've been seeing Bob Hicok's work in various journals and anthologies. I always found the poems interesting and pretty good, if not stellar. And I've seen some good reviews for Animal Soul, so I was rather excited when I finally picked up this book. And I found it a bit disapointing. I'll admit, these weren't the most awful poems I've read, but Hicok's rambling all over the place in a single poem weakened the good work. And I found that his line breaks generally seemed arbitrary and disrupting to the flow of the poem. But the poems I've read of Hicok's that I like should be in his next book, so I'll keep my eye open for it.

Rating:
Summary: Animal Soul
Review: It's no surprise this book was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Hicok is blessed with both imagination and purpose. His poems often surprise, in language and content, but always toward some end. More than anything, what comes across is his interest in people, a curiosity about who we are and how we behave. This is one of the best collections I've read in years.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: This is an amazing book by one of the best young poets working today. I've followed his work for some time and it gets better with each book. I never know what he's going to say or how he'll say it. The poems have a great deal of energy, they pop without sacrificing content. I can't wait to see where he goes next.