From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens [Paperback]

Thorsten Kaye Dorothy Bridges (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thorsten Kaye and Dorothy Bridges are perhaps better known in acting circles than literary ones; the classically trained Kaye has appeared on both stage and television; Bridges is the widow of Lloyd Bridges and the mother of Beau and Jeff--all well-known show-business names. Their collaboration on From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens takes them far away from Hollywood, however. These 13 poems are concerned mainly with matters of the heart. For both poets, memory is key. In "Portrait of my Husband at Malibu," Bridges is elegiac as she writes, "There sits my dream of love, my hero/The one I was young with." Kaye's memories, on the other hand, are less tranquil--his are "dreams scratched into table tops/Across this Irish town."

Bridges and Kaye aren't Yeats or Donne, but they don't pretend to be. Both adhere to an old-fashioned, romantic style of poetry with straightforward themes and rhyme schemes. From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens is perfect for readers who like their poetry sweet, unpretentious, and accessible.

About the Author

Dorothy Bridges (Mrs. Lloyd Bridges) is the writing mother in the Bridges family of actors. This is her first appearance in print. She resides in Los Angeles.

Thorsten Kaye is a classically trained actor who has appeared in many stage, television and film productions. He resides in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 25 pages
• Publisher: Cat and Moon Productions; 3rd edition (December 31, 1998)
• ISBN-10: 096686090X
• ISBN-13: 978-0966860900
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,093,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poems by Dorothy Bridges and Thorsten Kaye, March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens (Paperback)

From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens A Journey In Words

The fourteen selections in this book, poems written by Thorsten Kaye and Dorothy Bridges, are a blend and balance of light and dark, sadness and happiness, passion, tenderness, regret, and hope.

Visually, the slender volume with its leather string binding is very appealing, though the font style and print size may encourage readers to reach for their reading glasses.

When reading the poems of Dorothy Bridges, the word "joy" comes to mind. Her gentle words ring with joy and celebrate life even as she deals with loss and sorrow. She also evokes picturesque images of nature and its healing effect on the human soul in "Spring" and "Blowing Rain." "Sunday" is a thoughtful description a winter day's quiet reverie.

She pens a loving tribute to her late husband and companion of many years, Lloyd Bridges, to whom the book is dedicated. "There sits my dream of love, my hero, /The one I was young with/ There he sits in the sunset of our life," she writes in "Portrait of my Husband at Malibu."

There is a wonderful underlying rhythm in the straightforward structure of Thorsten Kaye's poetry, which the reader might expect from an actor who has interpreted the words of many of the world's finest writers. His narratives are introspective and insightful.

Love in many forms is explored in "Thorns and Roses" and "28", which are strong, vivid compositions exploring the depth, complexity and perplexity of a man's love for a woman, while "Mother Ocean" and "Hold Me" are filled with tenderness and longing.

Several of his poems, including "Timber Ridge" and "Nodding Acquaintance" deal with the passing of youth and its ideals, and suggest that we are reading the words of a man who is taking an inventory of his soul. In "Fall" he concludes simply, "Mum, there are ghosts after all."

In "Brothers" he views the shell of the old family home, now altered nearly beyond recognition, and recalls comfortable memories of familiar sounds and sights, as well as the people who once filled the home and its now-empty windows. He concludes that though the home and the playing fields do not remember him, he will carry one possession with away him: "I count me blessed for what I gained/The lifelong gift of brotherhood."

The accompanying CD, in which Mr. Kaye reads the poems in the book, accompanied by an applealing variety of background music, is the perfect companion to this lovely volume. Mr. Kaye is a classically trained actor with extensive stage experience, and his rich and memorable voice gives added dimension to the words of both authors.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for psychological "refueling", February 28, 1999

By 

Michael J. Hurd Ph.D., Author of EFFECTIVE TH... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens (Paperback)

The poems are romantic, rhythmic, and they celebrate beauty--not the sneering cynicism so prevalent today. Buy both the book and the CD, as Thorsten Kaye has a magnificent reading voice that does the poems justice.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisitely lovely and poignant collection, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: From Timber Ridge to Daymer Gardens (Paperback)

The poets have shared highly intense hopes, dreams and memories. The words in and of themselves are often beautiful. Coupled with the emotions attached, their words paint pictures which range from softly blurred to vividly bright and clear. Some are passionate, some reflective, some hopeful, and some sorrowful. All are evocative and provocative.

I highly recommend this book to all lovers of their fellow humans and the spoken word.