*I received an arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars.
I’m usually intimidated by poetry because I generally don’t understand it. It has always been either hit or miss for me, and sadly mostly miss. Then came along this peculiar novel.
A professor, who shares the author’s name, finds himself in a mysterious village, where he’s expected to teach a poetry class. The story plays out over the course of the fall semester where each week is about a new poet. The poets, though dead, arrive in their corresponding week to perform a reading and have drinks with the class while answering questions from the students.
The first thing that was clear to me while reading was the genuine passion for poetry it consists of. It’s not just a story, it’s like experiencing the inside of the narrator’s mind. Sometimes it can be confusing, especially if you’re not completely focused on every sentence. That’s part of the appeal. It’s fascinating. The further I dived into the story the more I started to appreciate it for it’s strangeness and intensity. It possesses an enthralling magic that wraps itself around you, refusing to let go.
Drinks with Dead Poets has managed to change my perception of poetry. I may not comprehend the majority on a strictly fact-based level, but I’ve learned that it’s much more than that. It’s emotional and everything matters, not just the words but the breaks, the length, the rhythm, everything. I will never look at a poem the same way again.
Don’t expect it to be light reading, there is an enormous amount of information, thoughts and theories, that demands to be pondered. I had to stop and take breaks throughout, because it inspired me and made me so excited about poetry, which I honestly thought nearly impossible. Don’t go into it with any expectations. Let it guide you, surprise you, teach you and most importantly, let it inspire you.
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