The Diviners: A Book Length Poem

by Robert McDowell

Book by McDowell, Robert

Genres: Poetry

90 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

Reviews

[Stephen Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a single poem divided into five chapters, each chapter a different decade, the total chronicling a family’s beginnings, growth, problems, separation, and reunion. The device of chapter/decade works well. Even though the world doesn’t go through any major changes at midnight when the calendar flips over to a year with a zero on the end, we as human beings have the habit of measuring our existence in decades—what we were like and what we did in the 70’s, the 80’s etc.—what fashions were like, how people behaved. Readers relates to decades well. Especially in remembrance. The events shown in the poem are ones that most everyone can empathize with in one way or another. The language and form are prosaic yet poetic. The result is an accessible poem that reads like a novel. Most of the characters’ relationships are dramatic, but some are humorous—especially during the haunted house scene. By Stephen Page

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Diviners, a book length poem, Robert McDowell brilliantly reinvents narrative poetry, creating contemporary narrative poetry with contemporary content in everyday language. I love this book.