Independent reading level: 9+

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-6
Awards: None

I don't think I "get" poetry yet, but I'll keep trying until I do. ( )

A lovely collection of Frost's poems with commentary. ( )

I absolutely love Frost's poems, and normally any collection of his work would be a five-star rating, but the constant intrusion of Louis Untermeyer's running commentary really got on my nerves. When I read a book of poetry, I want the writer's work to speak for itself, perhaps with the occasional addendum by an editor if it's a collection of works covering a lifetime such as this, but there are times when Untermeyer is writing paragraphs about each individual poem, interrupting my reading flow. It was a distraction. These comments started to lessen as the book continues, using one paragraph to cover four or five poems instead of one, which is probably why I stuck with a four-star rating. If Untermeyer had held true to his full commentary on every single poem, I would have gone lower.

The fact that I'm focusing more on the editor than the poet, especially when that poet is Robert Frost, should tell you how much of an intrusion the commentary was. It reminded me of a school textbook, where the editor feels it necessary to introduce and sum up each section before actually getting right to the subject. Maybe if Untermeyer had kept his comments until after each poem, I would have enjoyed it a little better, but it still would have interrupted the flow.

Still, overall a nice collection of Frost's work over the course of his life. ( )