Red Bird: Poems (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Birds are totem animals for poets, and Oliver writes of her winged kindred spirits often, here addressing “red bird” with gratitude for “firing up the landscape” in winter. Red bird is an emblem of passion in a frozen world, and a sign of Oliver’s own resurgence of love and hope after the profound grief of her last collection, Thirst (2006). In “Summer Morning,” she writes, “Heart, / I implore you, / it’s time to come back / from the dark.” And in “Self -Portrait,” she exclaims, “Ah! seventy. And still / in love with life. And still / full of beans.” One of few avidly read living poets, Oliver revels in the beauty of the living world, and takes to heart its lessons in patience and pleasure, cessation and renewal. As piercingly observant as ever in this substantial and forthright collection, Oliver is rhapsodic. But she is also wry, caustic, and elegiac in critiquing our habit of violence, “the debris of progress,” and the cruel fate of rivers, polar bears, and all the wild places and animals we’ve endangered, and from which we still have so much to learn. --Donna Seaman

Review

"The song Mary Oliver sings in Red Bird is the song she has always sung, but now more urgent, more needful, more."

"This year the Top 5 [on Book Sense's poetry bestseller list] can be summed up in six words: Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver." Christian Science Monitor

"Oliver's grief ripples through the book, as does an unwavering sense of gratitude for the moment, the memories, and her trusty dog, Percy." Boston Globe

"In Red Bird, Oliver...speaks even more loudly than usual against mankind's growing list of abuses of the plant, while celebrating such seemingly ordinary creatures as crows."

"As piercingly observant as ever in this substantial and forthright collection, Oliver is rhapsodic." Booklist, ALA

"We depend on this poet for her hallowings in the animal kingdoms. We look to her for a reverence that lifts up and celebrates the little things in nature."

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Beacon Press (April 15, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0807068926 ISBN-13: 978-0807068922 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #14 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( O ) > Oliver, Mary

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	67% buy the item featured on this page: Red Bird: Poems 4.7 out of 5 stars (12) $15.83
	10% buy Why I Wake Early: New Poems 4.8 out of 5 stars (17) $10.08
	9% buy Evidence: Poems 4.6 out of 5 stars (9) $15.64
	7% buy New and Selected Poems, Volume Two 4.9 out of 5 stars (27) $10.88

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews 5 star:  (11) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 26 of 27 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Extraordinary Voice of the Ordinary World, May 5, 2008 By  Sandy Carlson "SandyCarlson" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Are you familiar with the poetry of Mary Oliver?" I asked a student once in the hope of beginning a conversation on the poem "Wild Geese," a gem that contains the lines You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. en route to the statement "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,/the world offers itself to your imagination." This was the line I wanted in the hope of beginning a conversation on inspiration. "I think so," the young woman squinted, the better to scan a distant memory. "I think that's the lady who writes about, like, her dog, Percy, I think and trees. That her?" "You can start there," I said. "And you will get to Mary Oliver." Because Mary Oliver's poetry is about this moment in this world in this light in this weather, alone or with the dog or on the way to something or nothing. It's about being here and loving it. I believe there is nothing worth saying about Mary Oliver. Better to spend the time reading her work, or revisiting the magic of the landscape of your life. Her new collection Red Bird is her 12th volume of published poems. Here she speaks to the beauty of the ordinary, the environment, and the people of the world who suffer at the hands of those who love power. The world offers itself to your imagination. Accept the invitation and walk with this wonderful woman from Provincetown, Massachusetts. 22 of 24 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars "Red Bird" Fly's, April 3, 2008 By  Barbara Levinson "BLWriter" (Azusa, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Mary Oliver's simple, spiritual, nature infused poetry was never better. She teaches us all to watch all the details of Gods creations without preaching. We learn from the movement of her poetry, to recognize a cardinal when he lands, to know the names of all of natures wonders: pine needles and prairie dogs, cypress and elm,and we love the class as we learn. She faces life's curve balls with the wit and eye of a portrait painter who sees the tattered dress she wears as a badge not a burden. And she is aging so gracefully. I hope I do as well. 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Present Moment Beauty, May 2, 2008 By  Jacqueline Woodland "Pema" (Canberra, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    How beautifully we are invited in this most beautiful of Mary Oliver's books, to cease our restless strivings, to simply stand still, to listen, to watch, and to breathe in in gratitude for all that Life presents! Her words paint the invitation for us in tones that are sometimes as gentle as water-colours, sometimes as vibrant as a rich oil painting, revealing her awareness in the moment, telling us so much about her own love for life in all its forms. One of her great gifts is that ability to draw us to her as well as to the miracle of life around us, so that we have the feeling of walking the same path with her in companionable joy each moment. - It has been a great read, one that has brought much peace and a feeling of tranquillity and wellbeing to my spirit.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Here and Now If you love poetry and this world at our fingertips, especially its animals and seasons, you will love these poems. Published 27 days ago by Bennet Wilson 5.0 out of 5 stars Poems of considerable beauty Mary Oliver loves life and appreciates every moment of it. Her poetry is uplifting and she teaches us how to be aware of every moment, to love life with everything that it offers... Read more Published 7 months ago by Joyce Akesson 5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary and Compelling I had the privilege of seeing Mary Oliver in person; her physical appearance was so like her poetry. Human, present, honest and brilliant. Read more Published 11 months ago by Jeannie B 5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it. I cannot get enough of Mary Oliver's poetry. "Red Bird" is one of her best. She takes you to the world of birds and wildlife in ways that help you see life differently. Read more Published 14 months ago by D. Youssef 5.0 out of 5 stars Red Bird Some typical and upbeat poetry. But, felt some contents were a little less than author's usual standard. Read more Published 15 months ago by Judith A. Hope 5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, lyrical I read a short review of this book and purchased it as a result. It is the first book of poems I have ever bought and it is worth every penny. Read more Published 16 months ago by P. L. Mclaughlin 5.0 out of 5 stars a pleasure Who can resist Mary Oliver's poems, word pictures and thoughts. If this is your first introduction to Oliver, you won't be disappointed. Read more Published 16 months ago by B. Sinclair 5.0 out of 5 stars What a joy! Sit down with an old friend.Like William Stafford , Mary Oliver is a poet you'd like to have dinner with. Her poems involve us with nature and its impact on our souls. Read more Published 17 months ago by Michael J. Gullickson 1.0 out of 5 stars Book is good but arrived damaged Amazon did a terrible job packaging this book for shipping and the front jacket was bent and damaged. I won't buy another collectible book from Amazon again. Published 18 months ago by Kay71 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807068926
• ISBN-13: 978-0807068922
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #14 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( O ) > Oliver, Mary

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Extraordinary Voice of the Ordinary World, May 5, 2008

By	Sandy Carlson "SandyCarlson" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Are you familiar with the poetry of Mary Oliver?" I asked a student once in the hope of beginning a conversation on the poem "Wild Geese," a gem that contains the lines

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

en route to the statement "Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,/the world offers itself to your imagination." This was the line I wanted in the hope of beginning a conversation on inspiration.

"I think so," the young woman squinted, the better to scan a distant memory. "I think that's the lady who writes about, like, her dog, Percy, I think and trees. That her?"

"You can start there," I said. "And you will get to Mary Oliver."

Because Mary Oliver's poetry is about this moment in this world in this light in this weather, alone or with the dog or on the way to something or nothing. It's about being here and loving it.

I believe there is nothing worth saying about Mary Oliver. Better to spend the time reading her work, or revisiting the magic of the landscape of your life.

Her new collection Red Bird is her 12th volume of published poems. Here she speaks to the beauty of the ordinary, the environment, and the people of the world who suffer at the hands of those who love power.

The world offers itself to your imagination. Accept the invitation and walk with this wonderful woman from Provincetown, Massachusetts.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Red Bird" Fly's, April 3, 2008

By	Barbara Levinson "BLWriter" (Azusa, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mary Oliver's simple, spiritual, nature infused poetry was never better. She teaches us all to watch all the details of Gods creations without preaching. We learn from the movement of her poetry, to recognize a cardinal when he lands, to know the names of all of natures wonders: pine needles and prairie dogs, cypress and elm,and we love the class as we learn. She faces life's curve balls with the wit and eye of a portrait painter who sees the tattered dress she wears as a badge not a burden. And she is aging so gracefully. I hope I do as well.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Present Moment Beauty, May 2, 2008

By	Jacqueline Woodland "Pema" (Canberra, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How beautifully we are invited in this most beautiful of Mary Oliver's books, to cease our restless strivings, to simply stand still, to listen, to watch, and to breathe in in gratitude for all that Life presents! Her words paint the invitation for us in tones that are sometimes as gentle as water-colours, sometimes as vibrant as a rich oil painting, revealing her awareness in the moment, telling us so much about her own love for life in all its forms. One of her great gifts is that ability to draw us to her as well as to the miracle of life around us, so that we have the feeling of walking the same path with her in companionable joy each moment. - It has been a great read, one that has brought much peace and a feeling of tranquillity and wellbeing to my spirit.