D A Prince takes firm hold of The Knowledge, examining constituent parts and unifying threads, in a new review for London Grip.
She calls it “complex”, full of “subtle questioning”, which is what she likes best. She also praises the new format of the Nine Arches book itself, concluding, “Peake is lucky with his publisher — and they are lucky to have him on their list.” I do feel lucky indeed.
You can read the full review on London Grip.
Whereas Prince found the middle section least in tune with the rest, Geoff Sawers hacks away at the final section of the book in a brief write-up for Shearsman Review. He tempers his dislike of the London poems with the idea that, “Poetry is not about averages; it’s more like the High Jump, where your best one counts.” “Last Gasp”, for him, is that one that counts, and “soars”.
As reviews and comments roll in, both in public and private, it would seem that I have written a book that is one part a kind of poetry anthology penned by my multiple selves, one part Rorschach test for its readership. Some days it feels like everyone’s an editor (and they don’t always agree), yet on a more positive note, it would seem that there is truly something for everyone in this book.
What do you think? If you’ve been provoked by The Knowledge, I’d love to read your thoughts in a user review on Goodreads or Amazon.