Reviews for Robert Frost

The average rating for Robert Frost based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-03-23 00:00:00 John Platt I am only passing familiar with Frost's work - you know the ones: Mending Wall, The Road Not Taken, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, The Pasture - but have always been interested in his reputation and esteemed place in our culture. The awards are many: 4 Pulitzer Prizes, numerous honorary degrees, among a whole host of other honors. Having read another biography by Meyers, and it was well done, I ordered this volume from my local library. There is an unfortunate dualism inherent in biographies of famous people. They move in wide circles, meeting and interacting with the famous and not-so-famous, but at some point, while interesting, it becomes overwhelming for the reader (me) to try to keep track of all the connections. Meyers can always refer back to his notes to refresh himself, but for me to remember, for example, an obscure acquaintance from Frost's childhood who, at a much later date, reappears as a significant figure in Frost's old age... Well, it's just too much. Kudos to the author for assembling the facts for us, but readers be prepared to put in some effort to keep the actors straight. However, losing track of the players did not seriously affect my enjoyment of the biography. Frost led a very interesting, if tragic, life and there is no shortage of significant events to hold the interest. He at times seemed to be his own worst enemy, but clearly knew his calling from early on and resolutely stuck to his forte throughout his adult life. His family, children especially, suffered. Frost excelled at poetry, but was fascinatingly weak in other areas. He couldn't take criticism well, had a very competitive streak, and showed childish jealousy when in a position to hear other poets speak. When one guest speaker took the stage, Frost 'accidentally' tripped and disconnected the lighting for a short while; when the lighting was restored he tripped yet again and knocked over the speaker's water glass. On another occasion, while sitting on the stage when a guest poet was speaking he managed somehow to set his hand-held notes afire, causing a commotion as he put out the flames and waved away the smoke. End result of each incident: attention taken away from the speaker and put onto Frost himself. In spite of being somewhat sickly during his youth, Frost seemed to grow robust with age and lived until his late 80s. Meyers is occasionally guilty of confusing the reader (me) by using too many pronouns. For example, he may write of so-and-so meeting with Frost and then continue with, 'He told him...' or, 'then he proceeded to...' leaving us to guess which of the participants said or did what. Again, relative to the whole bio, it's a small point.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-03-22 00:00:00 Becky Mitchell I was inspired to pick up this book, after hearing Sam Hazo lecture about Robert Frost. I have always like Frost's poetry, but really knew little about him as a person, or his life. The biography was a little difficult, almost text book-like and I had to keep referring to my (complete and unabridged) The Poetry of Robert Frost. I feel like I need to read all the poems now, though I sometimes found the very long ones, well too long. Poetry seems to be much better when listened to, rather than read. (Did Sam Hazo say that?) Frost was a difficult person, a difficult husband and father. (Having just read West of Sunset, fiction about F. Scott Fitzgerald, I can't help but wonder if all writers are flawed, not just in a normal, but a heightened way...) "In Florida Frost met a popular novelist and a prominent poet. The tall, blond, florid Hervey Allen, fifteen years younger than Frost, was born in Pittsburgh, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and limped badly after being wounded while fighting in France during World War I." (207) (I marked this passage because I had never heard of this Pittsburgh poet and wanted to remember him.) The following quote comes from John F. Kennedy's "eulogy" of Robert Frost. "When power leads a man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses." (353)