Reviews
"[Billy Collins] is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist. To have such power in such an abbreviated form is deeply inspiring." --J.J. Abrams, The New York Times Book Review "Layered, subtly witty poems that anyone can understand and appreciate--even those who don't normally like poetry . . . [Collins] is wry, surprising, and effortlessly communicates the thoughts many readers wish they had thought or said themselves. . . . The Collins in these pages is distinctive, evocative, and knows how to make the genre fresh and relevant." -- The Christian Science Monitor "Collins's new poems contain everything you've come to expect from a Billy Collins poem. They stand solidly on even ground, chiseled and unbreakable. Their phrasing is elegant, the humor is alive, and the speaker continues to stroll at his own pace through the plainness of American life." -- The Daily Beast "America's favorite poet." --The Wall Street Journal "[Billy Collins's] poetry presents simple observations, which create a shared experience between [him] and his readers, while further revealing how he takes life's everyday humdrum experiences and makes them vibrant. While Collins's previous collections have already validated his brilliance and staying power as a poet, he continues to reveal an ever-growing maturity." -- The Times Leader "In selections from his four most recent collections . . . and fifty-one glimmering new poems, former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins' droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist From the Hardcover edition., "America's favorite poet." --The Wall Street Journal "[Billy Collins] is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist. To have such power in such an abbreviated form is deeply inspiring." --J. J. Abrams, The New York Times Book Review "His work is poignant, straightforward, usually funny and imaginative, also nuanced and surprising. It bears repeated reading and reading aloud." -- The Plain Dealer "Collins has earned almost rock-star status. . . . He knows how to write layered, subtly witty poems that anyone can understand and appreciate--even those who don't normally like poetry. . . . The Collins in these pages is distinctive, evocative, and knows how to make the genre fresh and relevant." --The Christian Science Monitor "Collins's new poems contain everything you've come to expect from a Billy Collins poem. They stand solidly on even ground, chiseled and unbreakable. Their phrasing is elegant, the humor is alive, and the speaker continues to stroll at his own pace through the plainness of American life." -- The Daily Beast "[Collins's] poetry presents simple observations, which create a shared experience between Collins and his readers, while further revealing how he takes life's everyday humdrum experiences and makes them vibrant." --The Times Leader "Former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins's droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist From the Hardcover edition., "[Billy Collins] is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist. To have such power in such an abbreviated form is deeply inspiring." --J.J. Abrams, The New York Times Book Review "It's smart to be a little suspicious of the popular. I make an exception for Collins. His work is poignant, straightforward, usually funny and imaginative, also nuanced and surprising. It bears repeated reading and reading aloud. . . . Whenever I sit down with his work, I remember a choice line from the song 'For You' by that other populist, Bruce Springsteen: 'You could laugh and cry in a single sound.' . . . There's no shtick here, no selling out for the sake of accessibility. This is why Collins is popular. He's wonderful." -- The Plain Dealer "Layered, subtly witty poems that anyone can understand and appreciate--even those who don't normally like poetry . . . [Collins] is wry, surprising, and effortlessly communicates the thoughts many readers wish they had thought or said themselves. . . . The Collins in these pages is distinctive, evocative, and knows how to make the genre fresh and relevant." -- The Christian Science Monitor "Collins's new poems contain everything you've come to expect from a Billy Collins poem. They stand solidly on even ground, chiseled and unbreakable. Their phrasing is elegant, the humor is alive, and the speaker continues to stroll at his own pace through the plainness of American life." -- The Daily Beast "A stellar jumping-off point for those who are new to [Collins's] work . . . [ Aimless Love ] is a joyride through all layers of his approach from 2002 to the present, which should not only please his current fans, but inspire many others to dive into Mr. Collins's work, headfirst." -- The Rumpus "America's favorite poet." --The Wall Street Journal "[Billy Collins's] poetry presents simple observations, which create a shared experience between [him] and his readers, while further revealing how he takes life's everyday humdrum experiences and makes them vibrant. While Collins's previous collections have already validated his brilliance and staying power as a poet, he continues to reveal an ever-growing maturity." -- The Times Leader "In selections from his four most recent collections . . . and fifty-one glimmering new poems, former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins' droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist From the Hardcover edition., Advance praise for Aimless Love "In selections from his four most recent collections . . . and fifty-one glimmering new poems, former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins' droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist, "America's favorite poet." --The Wall Street Journal "[Billy Collins's] poetry presents simple observations, which create a shared experience between [him] and his readers, while further revealing how he takes life's everyday humdrum experiences and makes them vibrant. While Collins's previous collections have already validated his brilliance and staying power as a poet, he continues to reveal an ever-growing maturity." -- The Times Leader "In selections from his four most recent collections . . . and fifty-one glimmering new poems, former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins' droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist From the Hardcover edition., "[Billy Collins] is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist. To have such power in such an abbreviated form is deeply inspiring." --J.J. Abrams, The New York Times Book Review "It's smart to be a little suspicious of the popular. I make an exception for Collins. His work is poignant, straightforward, usually funny and imaginative, also nuanced and surprising. It bears repeated reading and reading aloud. . . . Whenever I sit down with his work, I remember a choice line from the song 'For You' by that other populist, Bruce Springsteen: 'You could laugh and cry in a single sound.' . . . There's no shtick here, no selling out for the sake of accessibility. This is why Collins is popular. He's wonderful." -- The Plain Dealer "Layered, subtly witty poems that anyone can understand and appreciate--even those who don't normally like poetry . . . [Collins] is wry, surprising, and effortlessly communicates the thoughts many readers wish they had thought or said themselves. . . . The Collins in these pages is distinctive, evocative, and knows how to make the genre fresh and relevant." -- The Christian Science Monitor "Collins's new poems contain everything you've come to expect from a Billy Collins poem. They stand solidly on even ground, chiseled and unbreakable. Their phrasing is elegant, the humor is alive, and the speaker continues to stroll at his own pace through the plainness of American life." -- The Daily Beast "America's favorite poet." --The Wall Street Journal "[Billy Collins's] poetry presents simple observations, which create a shared experience between [him] and his readers, while further revealing how he takes life's everyday humdrum experiences and makes them vibrant. While Collins's previous collections have already validated his brilliance and staying power as a poet, he continues to reveal an ever-growing maturity." -- The Times Leader "In selections from his four most recent collections . . . and fifty-one glimmering new poems, former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins' droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist From the Hardcover edition., "[Billy Collins] is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist. To have such power in such an abbreviated form is deeply inspiring." --J.J. Abrams, The New York Times Book Review "Layered, subtly witty poems that anyone can understand and appreciate--even those who don't normally like poetry . . . [Collins] is wry, surprising, and effortlessly communicates the thoughts many readers wish they had thought or said themselves. . . . The Collins in these pages is distinctive, evocative, and knows how to make the genre fresh and relevant." -- The Christian Science Monitor "America's favorite poet." --The Wall Street Journal "[Billy Collins's] poetry presents simple observations, which create a shared experience between [him] and his readers, while further revealing how he takes life's everyday humdrum experiences and makes them vibrant. While Collins's previous collections have already validated his brilliance and staying power as a poet, he continues to reveal an ever-growing maturity." -- The Times Leader "In selections from his four most recent collections . . . and fifty-one glimmering new poems, former poet laureate and reader favorite Collins, the maestro of the running-brook line and the clever pivot, celebrates the resonance and absurdity of what might be called the poet's attention-surfeit disorder. . . . But Collins' droll wit is often a diversionary tactic, so that when he strikes you with the hard edge of his darker visions, you reel." -- Booklist From the Hardcover edition.
