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book nook*

... The Fairfield Review Rolls Out Poetry¹
By Phil Hall²

THE BEST OF THE BEST
For those seeking compelling reading material, pick up "The Best of the Fairfield Review 1997-2002" (Fairfield Review, $25, 125 pages). This is the first book published by the influential online literary magazine, and it offers a rich collection of memorable contemporary poetry and short stories.

The book is divided into sections titled: Childhood & Parenthood, Nature, Love & Eros, Society, Hard Times, Poetry & Art and Short Stories (all except the last consist of poetry).

It is rough to play favorites here, since there is so much worth savoring, but one delight is David Meuel’s “The Neighbor’s Garden” and its verse: “Gulping down/the summer sun, the weeds/can barely remember/the flowers/they’d strangled/in the spring.”

And then there is Karen Dowell’s extraordinary opening to her “Fogbound”: “San Francisco fog/cascades into the bay/through golden gates/ powers over house-studded hills/ swirls across streets like/heavy cream in coffee/muffling sounds.”

Among the best creative writing in print, this book should be read.
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To order a copy, please visit the Best of the Fairfield Review web page.

¹Phil Hall, Book Nook, Arts & Entertainment, The New York Resident, February 7, 2005, p. 45. www.resident.com Reprinted by permission.

²Phil Hall is the senior book critic of New York Resident. Please send responses to features editor Sara Bonisteel at sarab@resident.com.