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"By Ocean Divided": Poems of Ireland and New England
Poems of Ireland, from the Iron Age through the Great Hunger, and poems of New England through the present day. Influenced by the author's Irish heritage and growing up in New England.
- GenresPoetry
120 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 8, 2016
I have been a fan of Kevin V Moore's poetry fo quite some time now and really looked forward to his first collection. I wasn't disappointed; the book itself is beautifully produced, and the collection gathers together many of his best poems. His style is distinctive but he is never predictable or pedestrian. The book is divided into two parts. The first "Of Ireland" deals with poems and themes of Irish/Celtic heritage and history from Pagan to modern times. Here you'll find gems like Beith, For Tara's Dead, The Hound, The Magdalenes, Migration....poems that conjure and engage and as an Irish woman and and Irish poet I find it fascinating that an American writer can capture so much of my country (with an unique viewpoint.)
The second part is "Of New England" With poems like Forest Mourning, Californication, Sugaring, The Crow....proving that he is a poet equally at home in his native environment as in that of his ancestors. On the blurb it remarks that Kevin grew up in New England, in a house rich with his Irish grandparents' heritage. For the reader that is a happy circumstance indeed.
I loved this collection, not least because I can forsee many a happy hour spent dipping in and out. This is the kind of poetry I most enjoy; richly lyrical, elegiac, evocative but with an elegant and sparing pen.
The second part is "Of New England" With poems like Forest Mourning, Californication, Sugaring, The Crow....proving that he is a poet equally at home in his native environment as in that of his ancestors. On the blurb it remarks that Kevin grew up in New England, in a house rich with his Irish grandparents' heritage. For the reader that is a happy circumstance indeed.
I loved this collection, not least because I can forsee many a happy hour spent dipping in and out. This is the kind of poetry I most enjoy; richly lyrical, elegiac, evocative but with an elegant and sparing pen.
May 9, 2013
A readable book of poems, particularly in this decade, requires a reasonably educated wordsmith along with an interesting character who has truly lived life. This combination is rare, and therefore too much modern poetry is a bore, and we roll our eyes as we attempt to slog through the recent efforts in the magazines—reference: New Yorker.
Not the case with Kevin Moore. This is a book that draws you in, poem after poem, and you begin to believe in the integrity of the poet more and more. The first section is based around Irish history and Celtic beliefs, and these poems could’ve been written in Ireland—the sound and the countryside are in each line, the sometimes bitter tone understandable and valid, the cadence as solid as a rocky hillside along the Atlantic coast. The second section, the American poems, I connected with even more.
All the pieces have wonderful language and rhythm, but the American poems have a working-class sensibility that is close to my own heart. This is one of the elements that make these poems unique; we don’t usually have such a view into everyday life reported by one who has lived it thoroughly. These poems have clarity of voice and purity of perception into many things: from sex to drinking to death to nature, through the seasons of New England, surviving the aches of aging or illness, all drawn with either humor or insight, a voice who knows his enemies and his allies, and points them out to us without hesitation.
As an author of four books of poems myself, I strongly recommend this unique offering from a distinct and fresh poet. Cheers! Moore is certainly someone I would be honored to lift a glass with.
Not the case with Kevin Moore. This is a book that draws you in, poem after poem, and you begin to believe in the integrity of the poet more and more. The first section is based around Irish history and Celtic beliefs, and these poems could’ve been written in Ireland—the sound and the countryside are in each line, the sometimes bitter tone understandable and valid, the cadence as solid as a rocky hillside along the Atlantic coast. The second section, the American poems, I connected with even more.
All the pieces have wonderful language and rhythm, but the American poems have a working-class sensibility that is close to my own heart. This is one of the elements that make these poems unique; we don’t usually have such a view into everyday life reported by one who has lived it thoroughly. These poems have clarity of voice and purity of perception into many things: from sex to drinking to death to nature, through the seasons of New England, surviving the aches of aging or illness, all drawn with either humor or insight, a voice who knows his enemies and his allies, and points them out to us without hesitation.
As an author of four books of poems myself, I strongly recommend this unique offering from a distinct and fresh poet. Cheers! Moore is certainly someone I would be honored to lift a glass with.
May 9, 2013
This lovely book reminded me of why I loved poetry enough to choose it as my major in college . . . and go on even further through graduate school with it. I've started feeling over the years, rarely reading it anymore, that maybe poetry is for ones youth. But I've been so cheered and kept in such good company reading this volume that I sighed in relief to be reading a wonderful book of poetry now as I am older.
And this poetry has none of the pretention or over sentimentality that ruins most for me. And this poetry does have what means something to me: a spirit of nature, a spirit of New England, a spirit of kindness, understanding and humility in facing brutal truths bravely and with humor. This is poetry by a naturalist on my shelf now with Basho, Thoreau, Snyder. This is a wonderful new/ancient voice with fully realized anima and animus. This is someone who knows his spot within nature and spirits. So highly readable I feel when reading it, I know you.
And this poetry has none of the pretention or over sentimentality that ruins most for me. And this poetry does have what means something to me: a spirit of nature, a spirit of New England, a spirit of kindness, understanding and humility in facing brutal truths bravely and with humor. This is poetry by a naturalist on my shelf now with Basho, Thoreau, Snyder. This is a wonderful new/ancient voice with fully realized anima and animus. This is someone who knows his spot within nature and spirits. So highly readable I feel when reading it, I know you.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews