Customer Reviews

Enduring Ties: Poems of Family Relationships

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This collection shows that family relationships across the ages are not so different from what we have now. The way people can feel about their children, spouse or parents is one of those universal truths. The choice of poems and their arrangement flow beautifully together and express the idea shared human experience. This book can be appreciated by any generation. My mother loved it, I loved and so did my thirteen year-old-daughter. Once you start reading it you are pulled very willingly along to the end. The biographies of the poets are interesting and add another layer of depth to the poems.

I was so moved by the poems in this collection. Because of his obvious knowledge of the Chinese language, he brought forth poems that I would never have had access to before. Having experienced the birth of a child and the loss of the loved one in the same year, it was a wonderful experience to read the poems relating to those life changes. It is so wonderful to read poems compiled by an author who values family!

Janice Johnson

Grant Hardy has created a collection of poetry that is accessible for the casual reader of poetry, while being a pleasure for the serious student of literature as well. Through his tasteful selection of poems, Mr. Hardy captures the beautiful and sometimes painful gamut of emotion that family life can entail, without lapsing into sentimentality. Mr. Hardy's helpful footnotes give insight into the poetry, and more importantly, into the lives of the poets themselves. The effect is a book that I continually read for wisdom, perspective, and enjoyment. I have given it to family members and friends of all ages, since the poems cover all different stages of family life, so there will always be a topic that one finds pertinent. This book will be a cherished volume in anyone's library.

Grant Hardy's collection of poems, some of which he translated from the Chinese, gave me comfort and perspective at a crucial time in my life; I read them in a hospital awaiting exploratory cardiac surgery. I had read many of the poets before, but only one of the poems, so there was a freshness to the experience. Mr. Hardy's biographical insights are printed on the same page as the poems, providing interesting connections between poet and poem. The experience led me to look back and forward on my life and prepared me for whatever the future held.

I found this book by accident and it has become a personal favorite. I casually opened it while standing at the counter in my kitchen and found myself still standing until it was finished. Have given it to all my children and most of my friends. Poignant without being overly sentimental, the poetry evokes tender feelings and allows us to ponder anew the experiences we have had in our own lives, and those yet to come. Some books come and go...this one is a keeper...can't lend this one as I read it everyday.

Reading this book is like sitting down with a comfortable friend who knows all the poems you'd like to hear and many more that you've never come across, but should have. Here's a friend who doesn't mind sharing all sorts of interesting tidbits of knowledge about the poet and the art, but is never didactic. Dr. Hardy has chosen well, selecting poems that span both millennia and miles. The book includes poems that cover the great range of familial relationships, and the resulting interesting and complex emotions. His concise comments on the poets and their circumstances enhanced my enjoyment and understanding of the material, though all these poems can stand alone. A great read for the glancer-througher and for the serious reader alike. Highly recommended.

This book is full of such sweet and simple thoughts about life. It made me cry sometimes and smile other times. The author's information about the poet made me feel more connected to these enduring poems. It's a fabulous read!