ICE, MOUTH, SONG

by Rachel Contreni Flynn

Winner of the 2003 Dorset Prize, selected by Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Dunn. These poems, set within a sturdy midwestern landscape, are about loyalty and abandonment, disappointment and joy. They leap and startle and switch back, always returning with a clear-eyed desire for redemption in all its passion, solace and forgiveness. Says Stephen Dunn, ""Ice, Mouth, Song has a haunting beauty to it . . . . Flynn will not pretty-up her world, nor will she be defeated by its harshness. She's written a book that makes easier the difficult task of judging contests.

Genres: Poetry

70 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason, the second half of the book just didn't seem to strike me as much as the first...otherwise I would have easily given it 5 stars. I wanted to.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really wonderful gems in this collection, especially in parts 1 and 2. But the poems in the third section and some of the earlier one weren't as compelling. At their best, these poems are sharp, scathing, and achingly beautiful.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it is often lazy to say that you just don't "get" a book.

Along those lines, I'm not sure that I gave this one enough of my time or attention because I often felt that I didn't feel like I understood many of these poems.

I do tend to like my verse a bit more concrete, narrative...

My favorite poems: Failure In Small Spaces (love, love, loved this one) and I Will Not Be Sad In This World.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. One of the best collections I've read in a while.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I ever wrote a book of poems about/to/for my sisters, I'd want it to be like this one.