Love, Remember: 40 Poems of Loss, Lament and Hope

by Malcolm Guite

The bestselling poet Malcolm Guite chooses forty poems from across the centuries that express the universal experience of loss and reflects on them in order to draw out the comfort, understanding and hope they offer. Some of the poems will be familiar, many will be new, but together they provide a sure companion for the journey across difficult terrain. Some of Malcolm’s own poetry is included, written out of his work as a priest with the dying and the bereaved and giving to the volume a powerful authenticity. The choice of forty poems is significant and reflects an ancient practice still observed in some European and Middle Eastern societies of taking extra-special care of a bereaved person in the forty days following a death – our word quarantine come from this. They explore the nature and the risk of love, the pain of letting go and look toward glimpses of resurrection.

Genres: Poetry, Grief

211 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2017

Reviews

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book slowly, wanting to experience as many of the flavours as I could. For a poet who reads very little poetry, I found Guite's explications enlightening. For a human who has experienced loss, I found it encouraging to know that I am not alone. Grief can be alienating, but each poem revealed that others have been there, felt the depths of it, and moved forward by a grace called hope. As an Anglican priest, Malcolm Guite has stood beside the grave of friend and stranger and seen beyond to the resurrection. I appreciated his emphasis that grief is and should be a part of loving well.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading poetry with Malcolm Guite’s insight is such a rich experience.

[Susan Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on Malcolm Guite's poem Let Not Your Heart be Troubled a few weeks after my dad died, and although I'd read snippets of his other work here and there, I'd not read much of his poetry.

I decided to buy this book, not knowing what to expect...because although I love poetry, I wasn't sure if this was what I really needed during the raw grief I was experiencing.

Having now finished it, I am indebted to the author, who has held my hand through such sorrow and given a voice and meaning to the strange experience of death and loss.

Much like C.S. Lewis's book A Grief Observed, I sense that reading Love Remember, if you've not experienced a close loss, might be interesting - but the impact will be diminished. I recommend buying Love Remember and putting it aside - much like a fire extinguisher, but don't open it, not even to read the introduction, until you are experiencing the death of a close relative or very, very close friend.

The poems are varied - from Luci Shaw, Michael Ward, Tennyson, George Herbert, and Malcolm Guite himself. Guite's commentary throughout is, in itself, such a comfort, as well as being quite helpful in explaining literary terms and uncovering, for weary grief ridden eyes insight that might not be immediately apparent.

Death, be not proud,...

Indeed.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for everyone! I need to start there, since I fear many people will miss out on the depth and insight in this book because they are not currently experiencing great loss or grief. Loss and grief come to all, and I think there may be just as much gained by reading this book before it touches you deeply. I bought this book to give to a friend, but once I had read the Introduction, I had to finish it and buy my friend another copy.
This is my second book by Malcolm Guite, having recently finished his Christmas anthology/devotional. Guite is an extremely gifted poet, pastor/priest, and professor (meaning that I finished this book feeling like I'd just taken a short college class in poetry.) He makes amazing connections between poems and explains them so that even if you missed most of what the poet was saying the first time you read it, you come away with new, rich understanding. I also found his deep spiritual connections to be well-grounded in the essential Truth of Christian faith and doctrine. Highly recommended.

[Michael Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

40 Days of Encouragement

This anthology of poems, compiled by the Rev. Dr. Malcolm Guite is a wonderful symphony of poets and musicians from across the centuries into the modern day. Although not all of the poems spoke to me in the same way, this is a book that I will continually go back to as I have no doubt that even the poems that did not offer much will offer a great deal later on. Dr. Guite's insight in his short essays is an invaluable treasure trove. I especially enjoyed his own poem, "Easter Dawn," which I had read before in "Sounding the Seasons," but the essay provided here brings even more "lucencies" to it, to use a recurring theme in the anthology from Michel Faber. I also enjoyed the snippets from Tennyson's In Memoriam which Dr. Guite uses to bridge the sections, and Tennyson's last poem on the 40th day was the best way this anthology could have ended. So much wisdom in this small book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just a collection of his own poems but curated from an assortment of poets. Each poem is interspersed with reflections from Guite, all on loss/grief. I found some really beautiful ones in here, something to come back to. Not a cover to cover read for me.

[Emma Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a tremendous help along my grief journey, after suddenly losing my mom last year. Guite has compiled a fantastic collection of poems that span 500 years and address various stages and forms of grief and loss.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a fan of much poetry,...but I would excitedly listen to Malcolm Guite's interpretation of a Chinese menu if he so chose!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious and poignant. Such fodder for reflection and beauty.