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Rating: 
Summary: The most memorable book of poetry in 2001
Review: Di Piero is a genius. Thank god we have him and his poetry, whose unfailing honesty, moral center, and attention to detail shame the work of his lesser contemporaries. Still, with no polemic against the phony, highly-voiced, overly-emotional poetry of our day, Di Piero's work stands on its own as terrific. The poem "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is wonderful; his portraits of working class and modern life are consistently beautiful. It's impossible to put this book down without having imagined so much experience in the meantime. Get this! It is honest and true and skilled and mystical and American and lyrical.
Rating: 
Summary: Poetry of the middle-range
Review: This book is quite moving in parts, and Di Piero is obviously a very competent poet. His "less is more" aesthetic, however, often leads him to write boring poems in flat language. His "tell it like it is" attitude kept me interested enough to finish the book, but eventually I felt that original use of language and a willingess to risk experimentation needn't be sacrificed for "emotional honesty." Sometimes less is just less.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dull and Tired Voice
Review: This book is quite moving in parts, and Di Piero is obviously a very competent poet. His "less is more" aesthetic, however, often leads him to write boring poems in flat language. His "tell it like it is" attitude kept me interested enough to finish the book, but eventually I felt that original use of language and a willingess to risk experimentation needn't be sacrificed for "emotional honesty." Sometimes less is just less.
Rating:
Summary: A Dull and Tired Voice
Review: This is one of those poetic voices that seems to believe there's virtue in being boring and following in the footsteps of others. Not one moment of freshness or originality in this whole collection. As a reader of poetry, I find it sad when timidity and resistance to imagination seem to be the principles of composition. Can I have my money back?
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