I love Herbert's poems but I thought most of this book didn't do him justice. It made me want to go back and read the books I own of his again so I could be reminded of why I respect his poetry so much.

I found Reconstruction of the Poet very enjoyable. I appreciated the Publisher's note at the opening about the importance of formatting poetry and the difficulty of that formatting for digital editions. The book starts with three plays: one about Socrates in the days before his death; one about Homer going blind; and one about a couple waiting for an elderly woman to die. Though the first two plays read like historical fan fiction, I still found them enjoyable, and the third was intriguing and disturbing. I really enjoyed how Herbert explored abstract nouns. The poetry selections range a variety of subjects and styles. I'll revisit his poems again and again. Thank you to Ecco Books and Net Galley for this Early Review copy.