I have enjoyed Haddon's work in the past but this was beyond my comprehension. I don't mind poetry that is a bit nonsensical, however I feel like this whole collection was Haddon making a joke only he understood (or found funny). Far too convoluted and disjointed for my liking.

poets
No one understands them.
They are inordinately proud of this

A very emotionally twisting book...

An eclectic collection - bouncing from Greek mythology and Horace's odes to motorways and McDonalds. Favourite line (from the poem 'Poets') - "Their crossings out are legion."

"In truth, the dwarf worked in a betting shop / and wore an orthopaedic shoe. / The ugly sisters were neither sisters, nor, indeed, women, / nor were they remotely interested in the prince." –‘The Facts’

Haddon’s subject matter is wide-ranging and, characteristically, quirky. He deconstructs the everyday, thereby raising interesting questions for the reader. Such as in ‘The Penguin,’ which is about a trip to Cotswold Wildlife Park, where he muses, ‘A whole world and every part of it / a short walk from the tea-room.’ In ‘Nuns’ he speculates on the personal histories, and potential futures, of women who choose to live such a chaste, ascetic existence. ‘The Model Village’ is written from the point of view of an old man who has lived in the same village all his life.

These brief moments, which Haddon reveals, are both simple and profound, as well as being highly amusing at times. Take the poem, ‘Woof,’ for example, written from the point of view of a dog speaking to his human: ‘You bite me, everybody wants to know. / I bite you, no one gives a damn.’ Or in ‘Poets,’ where he writes, ‘There are whole streets / where their work is not known.’ My favourite poem in the collection is ‘This Poem is Certificate 18,’ which is a humorous assemblage of references to poets and poems both modern and traditional.

Although I’ve read (and enjoyed) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I was unaware that Haddon also published poetry. I came across this collection in my local library, while searching for another book. The title instantly attracted me and, seeing as it’s such a slim volume, there was no reason not to borrow it. And I’m glad I did. The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea is an enchanting assortment of poems, full of the same imaginative intellect which created The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Disappointing because it came across to me as poetry that was written as 'project pieces' or at the suggestion of someone else - as children or teenagers are 'made' to write poems on subjects others give them - rather than from the heart of the poet. Skillful and clever but just not something which I found myself connecting to in any way.

Endeavoring the read poetry this year. Since I enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I thought his collection would be a great collection to start with. I just don't think I am intelligent enough to "get" poetry but I did enjoy the audio version of this.

I didn't love every poem. But there were 4 or 5 poems in here that blew me away, and that's enough for me to rate it 4 stars.

His fiction is better than his poetry.

Very mixed bag.
Okay, not inspiring. Apart from "This poem is certificate 18" which I thought was wonderful.

The cover was the best part of this book.

I read Mark Haddon's collection of poetry shortly after I read and thoroughly enjoyed his most famous novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime". That said, I didn't enjoy his poetical work nearly as much. I couldn't find any rhyme or reason or connecting theme between the selected works, and couldn't find any idea of rhythm or intention within individual poems themselves. It seems to be a lot of imagery and little idea. With the exception of the poems "Cabin Doors to Automatic" and "Lullaby", I begrudgingly read through the the book in its entirety with none of its words connecting with me.