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rlynnparsons's review
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
This was an interesting read, and while there were some lines of the poetry that I enjoyed in their imagery, it is not a book I would necessarily re-read or recommend. I still appreciated the read and especially the interview portions throughout.
rachelmcshane's review against another edition
3.0
As a big Simon and Garfunkel fan, I was immediately intrigued when I heard about Art's book Still Waters. I ordered it from Amazon and read it through in just a few days. It was interesting, but it definitely has it's pros and cons, depending on how you approach it.
If you're a little but like me, you might approach it as a big Simon and Garfunkel lover. If so, you'll probably genuinely enjoy this book. It was a good read coming from that point of view. I knew a lot of facts about Art's life, so it was intriguing to feels his personal emotions and feeling through his autobiographical prose and poems.
BUT if you're a little bit like me, and approach it as an avid reader of poetry, you might NOT enjoy this book. Although each poem is apparently overflowing with emotion, the words aren't always as beautiful. The structure is free verse to the point that it just might drive you insane. I enjoy free verse poetry, but was a tiny bit annoyed to find many of his "poems" were simply paragraphs on a page. Also, each poem and prose piece is very specific to his life, so if you don't know anything about him, you might be confused or lost in the meaning behind them.
If you are a lot like me, you're probably a huge Simon and Garfunkel fan AND an avid poetry reader. And if you read it from that point of view, you'll probably find this book fairly interesting and worth the read. It's best to go in expecting a few things.
First of all, although it's classified as poetry, it's mostly prose, and the few poems it does have are absolutely structure-less.
Secondly, the pieces in Still Waters are so specific that if you know nothing about Art Garfunkel's life, it will simply be random words on paper.
But finally, you must realize that although he's no Dickinson, Whitman, Frost, or Angelou, Art Garfunkel does have a way with words and a uses it to beautifully spill his heart out on paper.
If you're a little but like me, you might approach it as a big Simon and Garfunkel lover. If so, you'll probably genuinely enjoy this book. It was a good read coming from that point of view. I knew a lot of facts about Art's life, so it was intriguing to feels his personal emotions and feeling through his autobiographical prose and poems.
BUT if you're a little bit like me, and approach it as an avid reader of poetry, you might NOT enjoy this book. Although each poem is apparently overflowing with emotion, the words aren't always as beautiful. The structure is free verse to the point that it just might drive you insane. I enjoy free verse poetry, but was a tiny bit annoyed to find many of his "poems" were simply paragraphs on a page. Also, each poem and prose piece is very specific to his life, so if you don't know anything about him, you might be confused or lost in the meaning behind them.
If you are a lot like me, you're probably a huge Simon and Garfunkel fan AND an avid poetry reader. And if you read it from that point of view, you'll probably find this book fairly interesting and worth the read. It's best to go in expecting a few things.
First of all, although it's classified as poetry, it's mostly prose, and the few poems it does have are absolutely structure-less.
Secondly, the pieces in Still Waters are so specific that if you know nothing about Art Garfunkel's life, it will simply be random words on paper.
But finally, you must realize that although he's no Dickinson, Whitman, Frost, or Angelou, Art Garfunkel does have a way with words and a uses it to beautifully spill his heart out on paper.
komet2020's review
3.0
"Still Water" is a collection of poems in prose embodying the themes of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire that is set amid a series of short interviews Art Garfunkel gave in the 1980s about his career, life, and approach to music and living. I read it in little more than an hour.
The value of "Still Water" is that it gave me a more rounded view of Art Garfunkel as a world famous singer, writer, actor, and human being. As someone who has been a diarist since adolescence, I was intrigued to view Garfunkel from different perspectives as he travelled through France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, the U.S.A., Tahiti, a music studio in Montserrat (British West Indies), on transoceanic voyages by freighter, and in the Soviet Union pre-Gorbachev, sharing his musings with the reader. One of which in particular made a very deep impression on me:
'Writing is often a first line and a sense
of where it's going; something you've
thought about all your life that finally
crystallized for you."
Read "Still Water" if you're in need of a quiet moment for self-reflection.
The value of "Still Water" is that it gave me a more rounded view of Art Garfunkel as a world famous singer, writer, actor, and human being. As someone who has been a diarist since adolescence, I was intrigued to view Garfunkel from different perspectives as he travelled through France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, the U.S.A., Tahiti, a music studio in Montserrat (British West Indies), on transoceanic voyages by freighter, and in the Soviet Union pre-Gorbachev, sharing his musings with the reader. One of which in particular made a very deep impression on me:
'Writing is often a first line and a sense
of where it's going; something you've
thought about all your life that finally
crystallized for you."
Read "Still Water" if you're in need of a quiet moment for self-reflection.
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