Official Review: Making Sense of Poetry by Rex W Last

Srilakshmi Arkoti · Post by **Srilakshmi Arkoti** » 14 Mar 2022, 09:59

Poetry has deeper sense of understanding while expressing.I liked the way the book is structured by the Author.And I am sure I will enjoy reading this book.Coming up to the review part it has clearly stated the soul of the book.Thanks for the review.

Ruth Frances A · Post by **Ruth Frances A** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:01

Maybe this educative book will make a poet of me afterall, or maybe, at the least, make me understand and appreciate poetry. The review is precise and helpful. I did not know there are commandments to follow, nor did I know it is a meticulous process. Thank you.

jeanmtdb · Post by **jeanmtdb** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:01

I think this book will teach me more about interpreting poetry than the 2 courses I took in high school. Congratulations on BOTD!

Kanika Tandon · Post by **Kanika Tandon** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:04

I love poetry and I would love to read how it evolved over time. I am willing to give it a shot provided its length is short which isn't clear from the review. Congrats on BOTD.

Scerakor · Post by **Scerakor** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:13

I have often shied away from reading poetry due to a 'fear' that I wouldn't understand the abstract concepts or enjoy them. Perhaps this book will be able to open this genre up for me!

Michelle Menezes · Post by **Michelle Menezes** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:24

I'm not a fan of poetry, and reading a book that explains the complexities of poetry is just going to leave me confused, so I'm going to have to skip it.

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda · 14 Mar 2022, 10:29

When I picked up this book, I had doubts about whether I would understand what was going to be talked about as it involved poetry, which is a topic I usually find difficult to comprehend. While I read the book, I had all my doubts about understanding poetry cleared, as the author broke down his message using a very simple and coherent language. I also liked that I had no distractions in the form of grammatical or typographical errors while I was reading, as the editing team did a flawless job.

I would've been hesitant, too. The nuances of poetry are especially difficult to grasp for me because English is not my native language.

I found this book to be very educative not only because it sought to interpret poetry but also because I was exposed to several words that I had not come across before. My vocabulary was widened as a result. I was also pleased that the author included the origin of some words and showed how their meanings evolved with time. For example, ‘pretty’ tended to mean ‘cunning’ in the 14th century. Then it changed to signify ‘good-looking.’

That's one interesting etymology! Learning new words is an often overlooked pleasure of reading.

I liked that the author, understanding how boring poetry could be at times, adds humor to his explanations at regular intervals. This is an effective way of teaching, as it made me appreciate what he tried to explain faster. It also made me feel refreshed while I read, as I had some good laughs. Furthermore, I liked that the author included exercises on the interpretation of poems and their solutions to enable readers to test themselves having gained the knowledge that the book sought to teach.

I love the idea of making an obscure subject much more lighthearted with humor.
Thank you for your fantastic review!

Amy Luman · Post by **Amy Luman** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:36

I have a hard time understanding poetry, which I guess is the whole point of this book. I sometimes think it would be worth it to learn, but then I realize that I don’t want to work that hard when I read. Thanks for the review!

Umesh Bhatt · Post by **Umesh Bhatt** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:42

This seems to be a nice guide book explaining what poetry is and what are the complexities in a poetry which readers should understand to decipher it. Thanks for a well brought out review.

DEEPA PUJARI · Post by **DEEPA PUJARI** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:44

This is a book that will help readers to understand and interpret poetry. Congratulations BOTD!

Cici Stride · Post by **Cici Stride** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:45

Thanks for your review! This sounds like a good idea. A lot of us avoid poetry, but if we understood it better, it might open up a whole new area of reading for us.

Christine M. Whitehead · Post by **Cristina Corui Mihailescu** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:46

I love poetry but I hate teaching it since kids really don't like it. I prefer to FEEL the poems, not to analyse them in depth. According to the review and the sample I have read, this book attempts and succeeds to make poetry analysis a more pleasant job.

Patty Allread · Post by **Patty Allread** » 14 Mar 2022, 10:46

I'm intrigued by what the author calls "the 12 commandments" of interpretation that you mentioned. I'm curious to read what those are! Thanks for your review.

Okwudili Francis · Post by **Okwudili Francis** » 14 Mar 2022, 11:05

This book sooo great ....omg...and it helps me understand poetry more better, helps my imaginations to broaden more more, well I think this book is great.
Great work honestly!!!