Official Review: Intermittent Vexation by T W Evans
Posted: 03 Apr 2018, 15:03
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Intermittent Vexation" by T W Evans.]
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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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
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.
******
Intermittent Vexation
View: on Bookshelves
Like Camille Turner's review? Post a comment saying so!
