101 Poems to Help You Understand Men

by Daisy Goodwin

An anthology of poems to help you through the battle of the sexes by much-loved poetry TV presenter, Daisy Goodwin. '101 Poems to Help You Understand Men (and Women)' is the ultimate alternative to the friend at the end of the phone. Ditch 'The Rules', pop psychology, scented candles, life coaches and aromatherapy. If you want to avoid being a casualty in the battle of the sexes listen to the people who know -- the poets who, through the ages, have been there too! Daisy Goodwin introduces each section of poems with her usual tongue-in-cheek, witty, and serious, linking narratives. With chapters such as 'How to Make Yourself Irresistible to the Opposite Sex' (see Margaret Atwood's 'Siren Song': 'the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons!'); 'Why Doesn't He Ring, The Bastard?', 'Men Have Feelings Too'; 'My Funny Valentine'; and 'Forgotten But Not Forgiven', '101 Poems to Help You Understand Men (and Women)' is truly an essential guide.

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

First published February 4, 2002

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

[Claire Petherbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this collection!

[Calum Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent selection here with some beautiful poems by Maya Angelou and light relief from Wendy Cope. I think there’s more classical work here than modern but it’s a solid 4/5.

[Issy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars*
some low-key misogynistic poems in here ? idk some felt really weird

[Richard Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems did help me understand more about the differences men and women, which was an achievement as age has generally made me feel I that understand women less and less. It's an excellent compilation of new, old, foreign, funny, and despairing poems. All are short, which mostly I appreciated, but I begin to feel the need to read again a very long poem.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a series of poems about men / women and the relationships between them.

I thought the majority of the poems were good (there were a few duds) and the ideas have all been explored before, but it was still an entertaining read.