About this title: This superb Pulitzer Prize-winning collection gives voice to failure with a wry, deft touch from one of this country's most engaging and uncompromising poets. In "Failure, "Philip Schultz evokes the pleasures of family, marriage, beaches, and dogs; New York City in the 1970s; revolutions both interior and exterior; and the terrors of 9/11 with a ...
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Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Description: Fine. 0151015260 NEVER USED! This book has never been read. There are no highlights, No pen marks, No missing pages. The binding is sturdy. This book may have slight shelf wear, it MIGHT have a remainder mark. Upgraded shipping on orders over $49.99. Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2009-04-01
ISBN-13:9780156031288ISBN:0156031280
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2009-04-01
ISBN-13:9780156031288ISBN:0156031280
Description: New. Pre-release ARC book with different cover and publisher stickers. New, unread, unused & in perfect condition with no damaged or missing pages. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2009-04-06
ISBN-13:9780156031288ISBN:0156031280
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780156031288. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780156031288ISBN:0156031280
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt, New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780151015269ISBN:0151015260
Description: Very Good+ in Near Fine dust jacket. 9780151015269. Small bump at head of spine, slight lean at lower spine. DJ has a couple of tiny creases at head of spine.; A bright, unread Review Copy of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry, w/publicity material included.; #AA372. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt
Date Published: 2007-11-05
ISBN-13:9780151015269ISBN:0151015260
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780151015269. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780151015269ISBN:0151015260
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"Half one long poem, half a series of shorter poems. The long poem, "The Wandering Wingless", is fantastic, and the other half makes for satisfying enough filler."
"Schultz brushes in reflections about his (dead) father throughout as he explores his own life. His dogs are also a major influence. At times quite powerful."
I got about a third of the way through Failure then misplaced the book. Once I found it and started again, I found I liked it better, thus adding more evidence to my hypothesis that the current emotions of the reader affect what s/he feels about any given book. Which sounds like an optimistic beginning to this review, but I didn't like it that much better.
Narrative poetry is a tricky thing, especially given that poetry is where that old chestnut "show, don't tell" does the majority of its heavy lifting. Sometimes the line gets blurry enough that you can read a passage either way. The poets who tread this particular line tend to be more inconsistent than most, for obvious reasons; I can't think of anyone who always manages to stay on the "show" side. Then again, such things may be judgment calls. I'll leave it to you:
"Patricia says, the Righteous Brothers and I moved in Thanksgiving, 1977, and immediately began looking for that ever-loving feeling, rejoicing at being a citizen of the ever-clanging future, all of us walking up Perry Street, down West Tenth, around Bleecker, along the Hudson, with dogs, girlfriends..." ("The Adventures of 78 Charles Street")
It looks like a pretty clear-cut example of "tell" to me. But, as usual, one can find a just-about-equal number of examples of "show", most of which are in the back half of the book (which can also be used as evidence that the emotions of the reader have nothing to do with his or her feelings about the book), which is comprised of the long poem "The Wandering Wingless". It's worth reading, but it probably won't be the best book you pick up this year. ***"
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