lucky wreck (Autumn House Poetry) [Paperback]

Ada Limon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2006

The winner of the 2005 Autumn House Poetry Prize, selected by Jean Valentine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the first lines of lucky wreck, I was drawn in by this smart, jaunty, musing, quirky voice... --Jean Valentine

Ada s new book has a smart clip of anger to some of the poems, edgy parameters of disappointment to others, lots of personal relationship narratives, conflicts and emotional realizations; decisions, choices, changes, hopes and sadness, a type of survival poetry searching the world, getting into a deeper knowledge of people, and as the searchlight strobes out from the lighthouse through the fog and mist to lost travelers and explorers, structure changes toward an inventive orthodoxy of the heart s stormy reign...bravo... --Jimmy Santiago Baca

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Autumn House Press (January 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932870083
• ISBN-13: 978-1932870084
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ADA LIMÓN grew up in Glen Ellen and Sonoma, California. A graduate of New York University's MFA Creative Writing Program, she has received fellowships from the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and won the Chicago Literary Award for Poetry. She is the author of three books of poetry, Lucky Wreck (Autumn House Press, 2006), This Big Fake World (Pearl Editions, 2007), and Sharks in the Rivers (Milkweed Editions, 2010). She is currently at work on a novel, a book of essays, and a new collection of poems.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky us--this what poetry is all about March 27, 2006

By Taypee

Format:Paperback

With much contemporary poetry moving towards obtuse language and cool emotional distance, we are lucky indeed to find LUCKY WRECK. In this book, Ada Limón reminds us of the first time we fell in love a poem, and why--as her poems speak directly to us, with nothing in the way, while exploring subjects worth caring about: love, loss, death, joy, family, the self, the soul, and the world--all the big ticket stuff. These poems are deeply generous and moving in the way they risk honesty and extend themselves to the reader. While the poems often start in a personal place, she inevitably propels them, and us, into a universal truth through humor and voracious attention to beauty. She shuns sentimentality, yet conveys an infinite tenderness for our species, and others, in all their glorious absurdity. From the greatest to the least, there is no subject in which she does not discover some surprising worth--from ladybugs to sunken ships to feral cats--nothing's too big or too small to show us what it means to be alive, and in the world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surveying the Wreckage July 19, 2008

By Kayla B. Gatalica

Format:Paperback

Fearlessly written in a voice that sparks curiosity and leads readers down the path of metaphoric discovery, this book is unique and energetic. The poems within are edgy and original. This is truly a daring, one-of-a-kind effort, angry at times, yet exhibiting almost childlike innocence and inquiry at others. There is something strangely familiar, and almost scarily honest, in this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing January 9, 2007

By Robert P. Gummerson

Format:Paperback

Wow. In the first eighteen pages she took me from laughing out loud to having tears roll down my face. Bravo Ada!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Precision, clarity and beauty November 15, 2007

By T. Morgan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Perhaps the hardest feat of any good writer is telling the truth. This book - every single piece - does just that. And it's not complicated or arbitrary. If you've ever felt like you don't really understand poetry, then take a look at this little book. The light bulb will go off. It's not that it's poetry for beginners; it's just that it represents how clear, lyrical and unambiguous good poems can be. There's a kind of magical focus to it. Everything seems just so, but still real and breathing. None of it ever feels contrived.

What a wonderful mind, I thought. How curious and thoughtful and full of life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars so very lucky January 9, 2007

By E. E. Walker

Format:Paperback

excellent work. i had become prejudiced against contemporary poetry until i read Lucky Wreck. it opened the door for me and assured me that there is such thing as imagination in the 21st century. this work bridged a gap that i didn't realize existed between poetry and music.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Words that reverberate long after they are read... March 23, 2006

By J. Israel

Format:Paperback

I used to fancy myself a poet until I came across Ms. Limon's work, because, ladies and gentlemen, this is how it's done. Simultaneously a wonderful way to fall to pieces and a subtle process of regeneration. Having been fortunate enough to hear her read on tour, I think its remarkable how her voice is embedded on the page. Highly recommended.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars lucky me April 11, 2006

By kjharnet

Format:Paperback

Lucky me, Ms. Limon agrees to write her soul upon a page for me to read. Lucky me, I have had the opportunity to hear the author read her work. Lucky me, her poetry has invaded me. Lucky me, poetry is young, fresh and alive within Ada Limon. Lucky you for buying lucky wreck.