Official Review: Intermittent Vexation by T W Evans

[Camille Turner]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Intermittent Vexation" by T W Evans.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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T.W. Evans’ Intermittent Vexation is a truly delightful book of poetry that held my interest until the very end. With a total of 32 shorter to average-length poems, the collection heavily addresses themes such as life, time and nature. While all quite different, nearly every poem incorporates one or more of the above ideas while presenting them through a new topic and a refreshing lens.

The collection of poetry begins with “Sisyphus,” a poem about the famous Greek king who suffered the punishment of having to eternally roll a boulder uphill, only to have it fall back down at the last moment. From there, readers are taken through a series of poems focused on nature—for the most part, places found in Quebec, Canada—such as lakes, mountains, snow and the sea. It is easy to draw a connection between such poems and human life, such as in one of my favorite poems, “Ironbound,” which compares the life and movement of a swallow with that of a raker working the earth. Later poems shift to focus on time and human aging, as well as political and social problems such as aiding refugees and dealing with untrustworthy news sources.

I rate this collection of poems 4 out of 4 stars, having found it an extremely pleasurable read. It was easy to follow, unlike some poetry books which focus entirely on abstract concepts. On the contrary, Intermittent Vexation perfectly blends concrete descriptions and ideas with abstract notions, making it easy to follow yet beautifully leaving room for individual interpretation.

One of this collection’s strong suits lays in the uniqueness of T.W. Evans’ descriptions. I loved reading about nature and life in ways in which I hadn’t previously contemplated them. For example, in his poem “Vermont,” he describes the forest as “tall cathedral trees” and in the poem “Appledore,” he says that perhaps the sea is trying to “clothe and hide the voluptuous amplitude of exposed sand.” There are tons of beautifully crafted lines such as these and the entire collection leaves quite an impression on the reader who will see the world in a new way.

Yet another wonderful aspect of this collection of poetry worth mentioning is the cadence of the poems. Each poem carries such distinct rhythm through internal and end rhyme that I rolled through one end of the poem to the other effortlessly. Even if you’ve previously struggled with reading poetry, I think the poems in Intermittent Vexation are a great way to experience the world of verse anew, guided by the fluidity of the poems’ structure in congruence with their relevant subject matter. I highly recommend reading this collection if you’re even slightly interested in poetry.

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Intermittent Vexation
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Like Camille Turner's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Libs_Books]

I imagine a poetry book being one of the most difficult reviews to write, but you've done a great job here. I'll seriously consider buying this one - it sounds as though it might be in the tradition of Robert Frost and Edward Thomas, both of whom I love. Thanks for recommending this.

(P.S. Since first posting this, I've searched for the collection online and can't find it - can anyone advise, please?)

[PurpleMoonrise]

I couldn't find the book anywhere, either. Disappointing!

[kandscreeley]

I do enjoy unique descriptions, but poetry just isn't my thing. I should probably try it again just because I haven't really read any since high school. But I'm glad that you were able to enjoy this. Thanks.

[londonmartine]

How funny, I can't find it either, it seems to be in no way googleable! Odd. I hope it comes into being, because it sounds absolutely lovely. I adore poetry that is accessible and beautiful, it sounds very much like my kind of thing. Thanks for the review!

[Camille Turner]

I imagine a poetry book being one of the most difficult reviews to write, but you've done a great job here. I'll seriously consider buying this one - it sounds as though it might be in the tradition of Robert Frost and Edward Thomas, both of whom I love. Thanks for recommending this.

(P.S. Since first posting this, I've searched for the collection online and can't find it - can anyone advise, please?)

Thank you so much for your comment! How very odd that it is not coming up for purchase anywhere. I received it in PDF form and in order to try and help you in your search to track it down I'll provide you with the publishing details:
Published by Aglish Books in 2016 (aglishbooks@gmail.com) and the ISBN is 978-0-9958163-0-5. I hope you are able to find it somewhere!

[Camille Turner]

I couldn't find the book anywhere, either. Disappointing!

That is disappointing! I received it as a PDF. Here are the publishing details in case they help:

Published by Aglish Books in 2016 (aglishbooks@gmail.com) and the ISBN is 978-0-9958163-0-5.

I hope you are able to find it somewhere!

[Camille Turner]

I do enjoy unique descriptions, but poetry just isn't my thing. I should probably try it again just because I haven't really read any since high school. But I'm glad that you were able to enjoy this. Thanks.

Thank you for your comment! I understand as it's not everyone's cup of tea but if you do try it again, I hope you enjoy it this time.

[Camille Turner]

How funny, I can't find it either, it seems to be in no way googleable! Odd. I hope it comes into being, because it sounds absolutely lovely. I adore poetry that is accessible and beautiful, it sounds very much like my kind of thing. Thanks for the review!

That is very strange! I received it as a PDF. Here are the publishing details in case they help: Published by Aglish Books in 2016 (aglishbooks@gmail.com) and the ISBN is 978-0-9958163-0-5. I hope it surfaces soon. Thank you so much for your comment!

[Libs_Books]

How funny, I can't find it either, it seems to be in no way googleable! Odd. I hope it comes into being, because it sounds absolutely lovely. I adore poetry that is accessible and beautiful, it sounds very much like my kind of thing. Thanks for the review!

How very odd that it is not coming up for purchase anywhere. I received it in PDF form and in order to try and help you in your search to track it down I'll provide you with the publishing details:
Published by Aglish Books in 2016 (aglishbooks@gmail.com) and the ISBN is 978-0-9958163-0-5. I hope you are able to find it somewhere!

Thanks for the details, Camille. londonmartine - I had the same problem as you, but using the new details, and after several different types of searches, I came across something on Project Gutenberg, but the page was no longer available - quite mysterious.

[Camille Turner]

How funny, I can't find it either, it seems to be in no way googleable! Odd. I hope it comes into being, because it sounds absolutely lovely. I adore poetry that is accessible and beautiful, it sounds very much like my kind of thing. Thanks for the review!

How very odd that it is not coming up for purchase anywhere. I received it in PDF form and in order to try and help you in your search to track it down I'll provide you with the publishing details:
Published by Aglish Books in 2016 (aglishbooks@gmail.com) and the ISBN is 978-0-9958163-0-5. I hope you are able to find it somewhere!

Thanks for the details, Camille. londonmartine - I had the same problem as you, but using the new details, and after several different types of searches, I came across something on Project Gutenberg, but the page was no longer available - quite mysterious.

No problem. How very strange! I wonder if an email to Aglish Books wouldn't clarify the problem? It depends on how badly you want the book, of course! Otherwise, maybe Online Book Club can reach out to the author and get the details on where to find this elusive poetry collection.

[Jocknerd]

This is a lovely review. I came here to learn the proper way to review books and I'm not disappointed.
This book seems like poetry I can truly enjoy. Thank you for the recommendation.

[Libs_Books]

I wonder if an email to Aglish Books wouldn't clarify the problem?

It did, to a certain extent - the email works and they are in the process of setting up a website. At the moment payment for the book ($20) has to be by money order.

[Jackie99]

I enjoyed reading your review. I admit I have hesitated about reviewing poetry books even though I do enjoy them. I don't read a lot of poetry, but after reading your review I may try to review a collection. Good job!

[Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha]

Nice review. Makes me want to quickly buy the book and read. Thanks for sharing your enjoyment and enthusiasm with us. You a re right, the author does have a way with words!