Fever [Paperback]

RON KOERTGE (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ron Koertge can elevate the ordinary places of America the backyard, the classroom, the mall into scenes of mock-epic significance. He can just as easily lower the mythic worlds of Superman, Ozymandias and Cinderella to a level just a few inches above the bathetic. And he does all this with a charming combination of wit and empathy, satire and sweetness. --Billy Collins

I would think a poem entitled Getting Tough with John Ruskin, Ozymandias and Harriet, or Teen Jesus would be enough to entice any reader. But permit it to be known that Koertge also carries around a lexicon that includes locutions such as snazzy, a word I haven t heard since my last Canasta game in 1959. We all know who said that poetry begins in delight and ends in wisdom, but Koertge might have said it because his poems are delight and wisdom all the way through. They are also very funny, the way the truly serious often is. This is a snazzy book, also a beautiful one, and I strongly urge you to buy it. --Pete Fairchild

About the Author

Ron Koertge grew up in an old mining town in Illinois, on the banks of the Mississippi River. He has lived in California for many years and has been on the faculty of Pasadena City College for more than 35 years. He also teaches in the M.F.A. Writing for Children Program at Vermont College. He is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Arizona Kid, Where the Missing Never Stops, and Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright, all of which were ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Product Details

• Paperback: 71 pages
• Publisher: Red Hen Pr (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597090166
• ISBN-13: 978-1597090162
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,229,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great collection of free verse poetry, February 11, 2009

By 

Sandra M. Brown (Concord, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fever (Paperback)

My first exposure to Ron Koertge was an ancient copy of The Boogeyman (which I also highly recommend). I decided I had to read more of this author just to enjoy his quirky world view. I have all of his recent poetry collections and several ancient collections. Fever doesn't disappoint. A great blend of wry, ironic, flat out funny, oblique, amazing-new-use-of-old-material verse. For first-time Koertge readers, especially those who don't otherwise read much poetry, I would suggest this approach. Read the book (one sitting). Then read it again. Then, when you're relaxed and want to have some fun, read it again. The poems really 'grow on you' and their multiple meanings unfold gradually.

5.0 out of 5 stars Quietly comic and tragic... perfect., July 6, 2008

By 

Carol (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fever (Paperback)

Fever is one of those collections that can instantly change your mood. It hasn't left my nightstand for months. Whether imagining the sly and well-planned movements of the Abominable Snowman, the real relationship of Ponch and John or poor Cinderella, trapped with the never-ending chirp of birds in ever after, Koertge is my snickering salve for days of mundanity.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fever is a collection of original, free-verse poetry set in ordinary American locations, January 7, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fever (Paperback)

Fever is a collection of original, free-verse poetry set in ordinary American locations, following run-of-the-mill people - yet revealing the amazing, the secret, the mystic, and even the divine elements lurking just underneath the surface. Ranging the gamut from sarcasm to sympathy, the verse weaves wonders of vividly evoked place and perception. "Stanza in Italian Means Room": Even the foyer is attractive, with its / blue tile and enchanted mirror. // Who wouldn't like that leather couch, / long as an alexandrine. // Or the dining room with its canary / and heavily packed armoire. // The kitchen is perfect, especially / the mangled sweater by the toaster. // I even like the laundry room: those / Maytags, that almost mounted trout.