Winter at Summer House by Mary Beth Hines

 

5 Stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

In Winter at a Summer House, Mary Beth Hines’s poems speak to the sublime and risks in every middle-class home, small city neighborhood, seaside retreat, or suburban backyard. Vivid, tactile imagery suffuses the collection, which follows the arc of a life from birth/first words to death/last words. Together, these poems create a sometimes heartbreaking, but often humorous and joyous, narrative that speaks to all readers.

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ABOUT THE POET -

Mary Beth Hines grew up in Massachusetts where she spent Saturday afternoons ditching ballet to pursue stories and poems deep in the stacks of the Waltham Public Library. She earned a bachelor of arts in English from The College of the Holy Cross, and studied for a year at Durham University in England. She began a regular creative writing practice following a career in public service (Volpe Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts), leading award-winning national outreach, communications, and workforce programs. Her poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction appear in dozens of literary journals and anthologies both nationally and abroad. Winter at a Summer House is her first poetry collection. When not reading or writing, she swims, walks in the woods, plays with friends, travels with her husband, and enjoys life with their family, including their two beloved grandchildren. Visit her online at www.marybethhines.com.

MY THOUGHTS -

Beautifully written. It is amazing to me how each poem is so different from each other. Some have a sad tone while others have a joyful and more hopeful feeling.

The one thing that I noticed and really loved about this poetry book in particular was how each poem painted a picture in my head. I could absolutely picture everything the author/poet was telling about and felt as though I was there. 

Some of these took me back to my times with my own daughter but many of them (in the beginning of the book) actually took me back to my own childhood and young adulthood. The end of the book is where is takes on a more melancholy tone, but still - all is very beautiful! 

Here is one of my favorites -

Sundown A cradle the ivory pendant between my palms while behind me shadows climb, flicker and spin, and when I press it softly, squarely in the middle, and Angel slips in through my moon-washed window. She glows in her nurse’s white, her soft words soothing, as she settles the alabaster charm with quiet hands, and we stare into the dark courtyard together – hair pale, eyes milky, though it’s not because I’m old. It’s a trick of light, a match, a flare that falters after twilight when all color seeps and alters.

If you are a lover of poetry or have a friend that is - this would make a great gift!

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from "Poetic Book Tours" and the author -  Thank You!