Edward Lueders

With the rather faint hope that I would be able to educate myself by reading the books listed, I purchased it, probably in about 1959...while still at school. I remember my teacher for English Honours (who wasn't putting too much effort into teaching me ......one of his two honours students).....that you couldn't expect to get much real literature under your belt until you were in your 40's. And I think he was right though it was pretty discouraging at the time. I've just taken the trouble to have a glance through this list and see how many of the books I have read at this stage of my life. So, of the British fiction I've read 16 out of the 32 recommended; 8 out of 44 of the American fiction recommended; 18 out of the 45 of international fiction. So, not great but not too bad, I guess, seeing that I'm not a great reader of fiction. But I thought I would score better on the non-fiction...say on sculpture. But no. I've maybe read one of the 12 listed.But I think the issue is that the books have actually dated. I've read more modern books (with better colour plates etc.....maybe better text maybe not) on most of the subject listed but just not those picked out by the selection panel here. Though it illustrates the futility of trying to be prescriptive about what others should be reading. Inevitably, the list says more about those doing the selection than about what is really great. However, one should give some credit to a panel of this nature that draws on various experts in their fields ....but all from the USA...so one must expect some bias. I've kept this now for about 60 years and it hasn't really guided my reading. And, of course, it's only about literature and the fine arts...it says nothing about mathematics, or cosmology, or chemistry or genetics or any of the other subjects that have heavily occupied my reading over the years.
So I think I will either pass it on to charity or it might have to be binned as it's now so out of date. But OK as far as it goes. Three stars from me.… (mais)

Thought I'd read it as a child (I think I skimmed it), read it again just now. It's okay, but not really my thing. I prefer light verse (Ogden Nash, A.A. Milne--I've read When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six numerous times, and they never lose their joy for me).

The kind of poetry featured in Reflections is the thoughtful, high-faluting kind, with much reliance on things as metaphors for other things. That said, I did remember the title (a shortened version of a title of the final poem), hazily, from childhood until now.

If you like poetry, this is probably an excellent collection. If, like me, you only like it when it's relatively silly & clever at the same time (hard to do!) this may not be for you.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).… (mais)