Love Poems (Hardcover)

by Nikki Giovanni (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
The bold, romantic, and sometimes erotic poems found here include "Seduction," "I Wrote a Good Omelet," and "My House."
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In one way or another, love shapes most of Giovanni's smart, to-the-point, and emotionally candid poems, but it's wonderful to have a volume devoted strictly to her love poems, especially since it contains 20 new compositions. Giovanni is one of America's most popular poets, because she speaks her mind clearly and has such a good time doing it. As she writes in "A Poem: For Langston Hughes": "wool is sheared . . . silk is spun / weaving is hard . . . but words are fun," a sentiment she brings to rich fruition in her more playful poems, rhyming wonders reminiscent of old blues lyrics where every line is a double entendre, the sort of hand-on-your-hip songs Bessie Smith and Dinah Washington sashayed and smiled their way through. But Giovanni turns more somber and reflective as she expresses the love of a daughter and mother, and a woman's deep-down love for a man that far outlasts the giddy romp of romance. Donna Seaman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (February 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688149898
• ISBN-13: 978-0688149895
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #173,796 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Poem is a treasure and so is Nikki, March 3, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

Hide "Love Poems" behind all those other scholarly, trendy, "book club-y" books - Hide it like you hide your new Victoria's Secret from you old lover - only to surprise him later. And when the time is right, do so. "Love Poems" adds a wonderful twist. It is real, seductive, poignant, and everything love is but you're afraid to stay out. loud. I LOVE IT & so does my BELOVED.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A softer side of Nikki, January 29, 2001

By	Je'Niece N. McCullough (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved this book. This book contains a poem for every stage, every feeling that love encompasses. I enjoy the hard-edged angry Nikki, but I also appreciate this softer, warmer side of her. I think the fire and passion are still there, just packaged more softly. One of my favorites is "I Wrote a Good Omelet." If you've ever loved anyone or hope to someday, you should appreciate this one.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful, June 16, 2006

By	Amy Guth - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Love Poems (Hardcover)

Nikki Giovanni uses her words so sparingly and so thoughtfully that every word is like a well-thrown bomb. My copy is worn and warped, but I'd never part with it.