How Long to Read Unexpected Shiny Things

How Long Does it Take to Read Unexpected Shiny Things?

It takes the average reader 1 hour and 48 minutes to read Unexpected Shiny Things by Bruce Dethlefsen

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

Description

In his second, full-length collection, poems of innocence and experience take readers from the schoolyard to the trout stream, from birth to death. Bruce Dethlefsen's familiar, folksy voice acquires new depth and darkness. As Max Garland notes, "there's clarity that's not to be confused with naiveté or simplicity." Dethlefsen chooses to speak in a plain voice that makes room for the lyrical in these poems, using a common vocabulary and an understated tone of voice. While his previous collections have hinted at darker tints to life, this book allows the darkness its due, paying attention to death, to loss, to grief, and to anger. The people in this book, including the poet/speaker, are conflicted and multi-dimensional: failing, trying again, and, in the meantime, loving as best they can. W.E. Butts praises the balance of the "elliptical, conversational, playful, and serious," in Dethlefsen's poems. The shifts in voice, using song, pun, and rhyme by turn, bring the reader closer to the heart of the book and then playfully, skittishly, evade and deflect the attention. It is by what he leaves out, as much as what he says, that Dethlefsen expresses the inexpressible. The terms which spring to mind on reading Bruce Dethlefsen's poems, tenderness, kindness, gentleness, aren't words we're used to hearing in relation to contemporary poetry. These poems have a wide scope and a lot of give. They're tough enough to admit how fragile they-and we-are. And they whisper whatever you are feeling, whatever you are going through, you are not alone. You are not alone. Together, these poems lead us to, in Garland's words, "a redemptive vision of the world around us." Visit brucedethlefsen.org for more information about the poet. Visit cowfeatherpress.org for supporting materials, including discussion questions for book groups, an interview with the poet, and audio from Unexpected Shiny Things.

How long is Unexpected Shiny Things?

Unexpected Shiny Things by Bruce Dethlefsen is 106 pages long, and a total of 27,136 words.

This makes it 36% the length of the average book. It also has 33% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Unexpected Shiny Things Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 2 hours and 28 minutes to read Unexpected Shiny Things aloud.

What Reading Level is Unexpected Shiny Things?

Unexpected Shiny Things 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 Unexpected Shiny Things?

Unexpected Shiny Things by Bruce Dethlefsen is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

To buy Unexpected Shiny Things by Bruce Dethlefsen on Amazon click the button below.