Book Review: Four Part Harmony by Barri Bryan
February 24, 2012 by Lillie
Four Part Harmony by Barri Bryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
On one hand, I would be inclined to like this book because the author is a very dear friend of mine, and she dedicated the book to me and sent me a copy. On the other hand, I would be inclined not to like the book because I am usually not a big fan of poetry. So the result is that my natural inclinations cancel each other out, and my review is based totally on my reaction what I read.
Four Part Harmony is composed of four short books.
Touch Me contains poems of love and loss, happiness and regret—deeply emotional. My favorite in this section is After the Fact. It touched me deeply and brought tears to my eyes. He Said She Said brought a smile and chuckle.
Highway Thirty Five South may be my favorite section because the poems are about sights and scenes on a highway I know well, and I recognized many of the places described. I appreciated that something as mundane as an abandoned car became the subject of a poem that creates a scene in the reader’s eye and an old cemetery brings thoughts of life and death.
Point of Reference is filled with poems about flowers and places and seasons and times and challenges and emotions. I wonder where the author came up with the poem Affliction, about having a barbed wire tongue. It certainly can’t be from her own experiences as she is one of the sweetest people I know!
Thursday’s Child more closely fits what I think of as poetry. To me these poems were more esoteric and philosophical. Although this was my least favorite section, it would probably have strong appeal for poetry aficionados.
The best way to explain how much I liked this book is this: I intended to open the file to make sure I could read it … and I read the entire book before closing it. Once I started reading, I wanted to keep reading. That is not my usual reaction to poetry, but it demonstrates how enjoyable Barri Bryan’s poems are.
Be sure to come back on March 16th for an interview with Barri Bryan!
Disclaimer: The author is a dear friend of mine who dedicated the book to me and sent me a copy. However, I had no obligation to write a favorable review and I did not receive any compensation for my review. My friendship with the author and the gift of the book did not influence my review; nor was I influenced by the fact that I am not usually a fan of poetry. The only thing that influenced my review was my reaction to the book when I read it.
I can’t believe I skipped out on Four Part Harmony at the bookstore.
Jose,
You aren’t likely to see the book in a brick-and-mortar bookstore. It is published by a small publisher and is available directly from the publisher and from Amazon.com.
A nice book that I shouldn’t missed. I’m glad you made this review Lillie. Will certainly grab a copy.
Jane,
It’s a great book–the beauty of poetry while at the same time being simple and understandable!
[...] Billie has recently released a book of poetry—Four Part Harmony, which I have reviewed. [...]