Stephen McClurg

A fan of the play, but not a fan of this translation.

Like many of the popular business and marketing books I've read, this one is easy to read and has several ideas and techniques that are immediately applicable to my situation. After a few months or so, I'll likely review some of the chapters and see what I need to review and what I need to begin using.

Dove has written some great poems and there are some good ones in here. I get the feeling while reading some books of poems that the author is just getting a book out there instead of letting these things sit awhile and then revising them. I don't think this is necessarily a fault of Dove, but of publishing in general.

Dove hits the mark with some lines and descriptions: “a dirty wingspan/of the daily news” and “tidy rupture.” “Twelve Chairs” and “Evening Primrose” are my favorite sequences in the book. As part of an installation by Larry Kirkland, the “Twelve Chairs” sequence was carved on the backs of twelve marble chairs in the lobby of the Federal Court House in Sacramento.

Overall, the book is a fast-paced page-turner. A fun Sunday read with some nice plot twists. Contemporary readers may find it too “talky” and not bloody enough, but that's part of the charm here.

My kids LOVE this book. It's a frequent request at bedtime.