Reviews for Richard Aldington & H. D

The average rating for Richard Aldington & H. D based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-05-05 00:00:00 Anne Tagge One Art The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn’t hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster. I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn’t hard to master. I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster. —Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-04-25 00:00:00 Craig Henry This is one of those books that brings out the compulsive side of me. I read every letter--even the most mundane, and there were many of those: doctor's visits, housekeeping, etc. Since Bishop is among my favorite poets, I was compelled to read everything, not wanting to miss a shred of her life story. The letters work like puzzles; we have only Bishop's, so we have to piece together what she's responding to. That's partly what's so interesting. As with any real person, though, there are sides of her we don't particularly like to see, including racist, elitist attitudes. I was reminded of that saying about heroes--sometimes it's better not to meet them. Overall, though, this comprehensive account is worthy for that idea, exactly: here is Bishop's character, well-developed, rounded, whom we like and dislike at times, and whose loves and losses matter.