How Long to Read The Burning of Los Angeles

How Long Does it Take to Read The Burning of Los Angeles?

It takes the average reader 1 hour and 45 minutes to read The Burning of Los Angeles by Samuel Maio

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Samuel Maio's first poetry collection, "The Burning of Los Angeles", demonstrates impeccable prosodic skills. Invoking Nathaniel West, "whose visionary/ Foresaw the slow, smokeless burning of decay", Maio casts his own sardonic observations within neatly controlled lines and diction reminiscent of early Pound and Eliot. The poet's stance of an ironic observer, however, creates distance from the characters in his vignettes by the narrator's implied feelings of superiority. We enter a social milieu where lovemaking becomes a calculated form of narcissism, self-adoration on the make - a beautiful young woman undresses as "a wax model/ Self-sculptured and deftly rouged". In "The Real Thing" (ironic title, here) the couple is "conscious. . .of looking for the cameras". Looking through the lustful eyes of an ageing former beach surfer, at the Filipina whose "V" of long black hair "Points to the cleft showing above her bikini", we appreciate the details, but fail to care about the man. More poignant in its effect is "The Jack London Nuthouse", where the observer longs to "envision once more. . .The first time driving over the long bridge /A resplendent beauty awaiting him /Instead of the world's open nuthouse". The final section of the book, and the most autobiographical, draws the reader in completely. "Dark Woman Well" is a poem to be read with pounding heart. This remarkable memory/dream enacts a boy's ordeal of descent to hoist up a woman's corpse. This section, which comprises poems remembering the poet's father, and his unaffectedly skilled elegy for a writer friend, offers kinship to the reader as well.

How long is The Burning of Los Angeles?

The Burning of Los Angeles by Samuel Maio is 104 pages long, and a total of 26,416 words.

This makes it 35% the length of the average book. It also has 32% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read The Burning of Los Angeles Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 2 hours and 24 minutes to read The Burning of Los Angeles aloud.

What Reading Level is The Burning of Los Angeles?

The Burning of Los Angeles is suitable for students ages 10 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy The Burning of Los Angeles?

The Burning of Los Angeles by Samuel Maio is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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