Drunk by Noon [Paperback]

Jennifer L. Knox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2007

Did somebody say Jen Knox's poems "read like Richard Pryor with an MFA"? Yes, somebody did. (It was John Findura in Verse Magazine.) She's also been compared to comedian Sarah Silverman, artist Jeff Koons, a 10-year-old who can't keep her mouth shut, and

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This second book from Knox, a young New York poet, continues the playful romp through the warped Americana she began in her debut, A Gringo Like Me. Here, Knox gives voice to wayward teens, drug-addled sages and fat dogs fantasizing about killing babies—among other unsavory characters—through dramatic monologues and quick narrative sketches. There are many rats, guns, genitals, fried foods and drugs, too, along the way, and Knox catalogues them all in a breezy voice suited to barrooms and club stages, echoing standup comedy and performance art. Even a rigorous pantoum called 59 Tenets About Meat sounds casual (I am totally freaking out). Reminiscent at times of a comic book Bukowski—Apparently, all those margaritas and cocaine / have saddled me with a profound bout of diarrhea—a pervasive, sentimental fascination with the down-and-out lurks behind Knox's layers of irony and comic distance. Elsewhere, she self-consciously toys with her own image in poems like Ideal Reader for Jennifer L. Knox. She's at her best and most entertaining in bursts of everyday surrealism—like the poem Pastoral with Internet Porn, which bristles with energy and imagination. This is poetry few would be intimidated by, though it could entertain many. (Mar.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Bloof Books (October 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615163556
• ISBN-13: 978-0615163550
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,130,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars idiosyncratic; irresistible, October 22, 2008

By 

C. O. Aptowicz (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drunk by Noon (Paperback)

Jennifer L. Knox's first book -- the wonderfully quirky "Gringo Like Me" -- was a tough act to follow, but her latest book "Drunk By Noon" comes out with guns blazing.

In "Drunk By Noon," Knox continues her fearless, sly and witty takes on American life, and leaves no bizarre stone unturned. Poetry from the perspective of obese spaniels, cuddles next to poetry comparing Emperor Hiro Hito to Randy Newman, which lounges in shadow of an epic poem called "59 Tenets about Meat." But Knox's singular gift is the grounding humanity she brings to her manic range of topics: no matter how strange or absurd, by the end of the poem, you are ultimately left feeling a shamelessly tender.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who is feeling grumpy towards humanity, or anyone who has forgotten how darkly fun poetry can be.