101 Poems to Get You Through the Day

by Daisy Goodwin

This is an anthology designed to help you get through the stresses of modern life. For rapid and effective relief around the clock, 24-7, without side effects, try a poem -- whatever the time of the day (or night), you can be sure that some poet, past or present, has been there too. To help you find the right poem at the right time, the organization of the book is like that of a book of hours. Starting with Getting Up, it then moves on to those other morning Stepping on the Scale and Looking into the Mirror. As the day moves on there are sections to cover everything, from Office Politics to Off to School. And if by five p.m. your head is throbbing, dig into the poems in the Take 5 section and let the world recede. By the end of the day you may want to look for inspiration among the poems in Going Home, but if you are intent on veering from the straight and narrow, then turn to the Behaving Badly poems and you'll find you're in good company. Anyone who feels vaguely guilty about settling down in front of the TV instead of taking café society by storm should turn to the poems in the Not Tonight section.

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2003

About the author

DAISY GOODWIN, a Harkness scholar who attended Columbia University’s film school after earning a degree in history at Cambridge University, is a leading television producer in the U.K. Her poetry anthologies, including 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life, have introduced many new readers to the pleasures of poetry, and she was Chair of the judging panel of the 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction. That was the year she published her first novel the American Heiress ( My Last Duchess in UK) , followed by The Fortune Hunter and now Victoria. She has also created VICTORIA the PBS/ITV series which starts in January. She has three dogs, two dogs, and one husband.

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely anthology; great variety of classics and modern styles, all well curated into accessible categories - has been great dipping in and out of!
I just wish some of the groups had a few more poems in - some only have one which didn’t feel particularly rounded.

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her introduction Goodwin writes: "I can vouch for the effectiveness of poetry as a powerful antidote to the miseries of modern life ... I recommend it as part of any emotional repair kit." I've never really thought about poetry in this way. Poetry usually interests me because I like the play on words or because the poet makes you see things in a different light. That it might be an "emotional repair kit" I've only considered in the context of writing it, not reading it. Then I made my slow way through this anthology and for the first time understand why people read different collections of poetry, even if it's by the same author. I've always tended to read poetry by the poet, i.e. which poet do I want to read > find the collected works. Reading poetry in the kind of groupings offered here gives it a freshness that I really enjoyed. There were also poems that I would never have come across otherwise which left a smile on my face.

[Vivienne Strauss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good poems here, I could see this making a great gift for someone you don't know well. Personally, I prefer to read poems by the same author rather than a smattering. Did discover a few new poets I would like to read more of though.

[Lucía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mis descubrimientos favoritos de esta recopilación:
• "Mirror" de Sylvia Plath.
• "A Woman of a Certain Age" de Carol Rumens.
• "He Tells Her" de Wendy Cope.
• "Times Does Not Bring Relief" de Edna St Vicent Millay.

[Calum Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. An explanation at the start of sections brings the book to life. Range of classical and modern poems and also poems for occasions e.g Weddings, funerals etc

100 % recommend 😊

[Meenal · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 41%.

Boring.

[Constantin Rusencu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cred ca introducerea vorbeste de la sine:

"I hope you will want to read this book at one sitting, but I would urge restraint: poems are like a box of chocolates - you can have too much of a good thing. Better to take these poems little and often , keep this book with you in the spot you would keep your regular crutches: painkillers/ cigarettes/ mobile phones, and consult it first. Your wallet and your liver will be grateful. And even if your life is running smoothly, have this book to hand to console wounded friends, fortify teenagers through the agonies of adolescence and reassure captains of industry in mid-life crises".

Mi-au placut:

You wake up in the morning - Arnold Bennett : http://www.daisygoodwin.co.uk/poems/y...

On Children - Kahlil Gabran: http://www.katsandogz.com/onchildren....

si am regasit:

Days - Philip Larkin: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daisy Goodwin features poems she has chosen by many well-known poets from different eras to help the reader coping with daily life and its stresses.

I liked the categories editor Daisy Goodwin chose for this book, and liked the premise for her collection of poems, but I feel that she could have made some better choices in poetry selections for this anthology. Although I like poetry, too many of the selections didn't do much for me. Yes, there were some exemplary pieces in the collection, but, as a whole, I don't think the more casual readers, in particular, let alone poetry lovers, will find much to speak to them.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff in here. I still turn to this from time to time when I'm looking for a poem for a special occasion (the poems in this collection are arranged by subject matter). Also, there are quite a few joyful, celebratory and funny poems in this book, which are a rarity in modern poetry.

[Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poems for people who don't want the poetry they read to be too challenging. However although somewhat "light" poetry, these are good poems which can do what the title promises. Authors include Ogden Nash, Edna St Vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, and even Shakespeare.
Quick and happy reading.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep trying poetry, but a lot of it just doesn't do much for me. I'm a novel reader at heart. There were some interesting situations addressed in this collection though - glad to say I didn't need all the poems. ;)

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that the topics and authors varied so you got a little taste of a lot of different styles. The author clearly likes Wendy Cope a lot - twice as many of her poems were included than anyone else's, but her poems always stuck me so I enjoyed it.

[Richard Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found some of my favourite poems in the anthology, which I take as a good sign, but I also found many new, poignant, funny, and moving poems. I like her selections, but I could do without her silly interpolations of prose (and I mostly did).

[Heathercheryl Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this dear little book of poetry countless times; I keep it my nighttable drawer.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, and I love the idea of this book. A collection of short poems in categories that happen all the time.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection that I always keep coming back to. Worth having tucked on the bookshelf!

[Jenna Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3/7 for the 2016 BookTubeAThon!
(Book To Be Read After Sunset)

This collection of poems introduced me to some wonderful works and reminded me of some old favorites.

[Marie’s Book Boutique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really beautiful poems!

[Michael Rumney · Rating 3 out of 5]

With any anthology you get a varying degree of standard good, bad and OK. Daisy Goodwin as the editor provides a nice commentary before each section of the book. A collection that's relevant to today even though some of the contributors have long passed away. An easy collection to dip in and out from.