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Good Poems  By  cover art

Good Poems

By: Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Charles Bukowski, Billy Collins, Robert Bly, Sharon Olds, Garrison Keillor - editor
Narrated by: Garrison Keillor
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Publisher's summary

Good Poems includes poems about lovers, children, failure, everyday life, death, and transcendence. It features the work of classic poets, such as Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Robert Frost, as well as the work of contemporary greats such as Howard Nemerov, Charles Bukowski, Donald Hall, Billy Collins, Robert Bly, and Sharon Olds. Good Poems includes poems about lovers, children, failure, everyday life, death, and transcendence.

The poems are read by Keillor and a number of the poets included in the collection. Some are wise, some are funny, some are soothing or heartwarming. All were chosen for their wit, frankness, passion, and, in Keillor's words, their utter clarity in the face of everything else a person has to deal with at 7 a.m.

©2002 Garrison Keillor (P)2002 HighBridge Company

What listeners say about Good Poems

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good, but. . .

I have three wishes: an unabridged version; a "chapter" break between poems [I listen with iTunes on my computer, and if I want to hear a poem over, it is difficult to navigate to the right spot]; and the title/poet named before each and every poem.

Very pleasant listen!! Highly recommended.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

No Table of Contents

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It's very difficult to find out which poems are included, and no way to determine who reads it, without listening to the tracks which are unhelpfully labelled Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. If you just want to "let is play," you can find something to divert you, but good luck finding it again. To improve the experience, send a copy of the book along with the CD.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Pure Delight

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is a pure delight. I expected to hear Garrison Keillor narrate all of the poems, and while his soothing voice began the book with Psalm 23, followed by Raymond Carver's "At Least," and John Berryman's "Address to the Lord," he was not the only narrator. I was surprised to hear the voice of Billy Collins reading his poem, "Nightclub," and a number of other poets and narrators reading their own or other poets' works. I also own a hard copy of this great anthology which is what prompted me to buy the audio version. At night, I put in my earbuds and listen to this book in bed as I fall asleep.

What other book might you compare Good Poems to and why?

Aimless Love by Billy Collins, while not an anthology, is another favorite poetry collection on audible.

Have you listened to any of Garrison Keillor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to Garrison Keillor read his poem of the day. He has a wonderful voice and delivery.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was deeply touched by the reading of John Berryman's "Address to the Lord."

Any additional comments?

Hearing poetry read is a deeply contemplative experience, preferable to simply reading it in print. I hope that audible will add more books of poetry to the catalog.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Table of contents

Does anyone have the table of contents for this?WOuld like to know what I'm listening to

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mediocre Poems & a few good ones

Multiple narrators, no indexing, no table of contents, a wide range poets - some famous and now a couple of infamous poets. It seems that Garrison Keillor does less than half of the poems. Not all of the woe is gone from Lake Wobegon.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Poems to come back to

I love this book. I've had a casserole of it for years, and it's almost worn out. It's great to have it on my IPad now. The readings by Garrison and others are calm, without theatrics, and memorable. I listen often, and at length.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Garrison

Wish Garrison had narrated each poem. The others were fine and provided change but Garrison made them sing

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sunday afternoon poems

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon or stormy summertime. The poems are timeless, centered much on family, death and dying as much as the pleasure of idleness and love.

Purely delicious, this set is a new favorite companion.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

"Good Poems" Often Great

I've read aloud many a poem to a congregation and found these readings often outstanding, not overdramatic, conveying the spirit of the poem, bringing them alive.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pure delight

Listening to these poems was one of the greatest pleasures of my past two months. I savored them slowly, soaking them in. Sometimes laughing, sometimes remembering, sometimes realizing. I was deeply sad to come to it’s end. My only consolation is that I can go back to the beginning.

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2 people found this helpful