reviews
Dec 13, 2008
Rick
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Hall’s prose is always a good companion, whether he is recounting seasons on Eagle Pond, musing on work and life, or holding a reflective glass to his suffering through illness and tragedy, or merely recalling his childhood as the first part of his professional journey to his twilight years of diminished powers but heightened perceptiveness and understanding. Unpacking the Boxes is a philosophical look back, a frank one, remarkably free of self-pity or self-congratulation. He has lived his chose
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Dec 25, 2009
Sam
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A good beginning - an interesting if somewhat incurious (about his parents, grandparents, etc.) account of his childhood in familiar Hamden and Whitneyville, CT, prosperous in the Depression - and a better account of wartime years at Andover and postwar years at Harvard, and then a completely gripping narrative of social/literary success at Oxford in the Korean war years - one begins to notice some things that are wrong.
First of all, Hall seems unable to appreciate his immense good fortu More...
First of all, Hall seems unable to appreciate his immense good fortu More...
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Jun 21, 2009
Kathleen
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This book is so beautifully written and skillfully crafted, I read passages over and over again and took copious notes. Donald Hall's poetry has been a gift to me since I began to read his poetry in the early 1970's; he changed how I thought of poetry. To read how he came to be the writer he is...his love of reading and writing, his introduction to authors, his childhood, school and teaching experiences put an intimate face on his poetry for me. His love of his children, his wife, Jane Kenyon, a
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Feb 25, 2010
Barbara A
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The very first sentence of this book explains for me precisely why Donald Hall, despite life's typical sorrows and disappointments, has had, to quote Reynolds Price, "a long and happy life".
Much like figure skater Johnny Weir, who today gave an elegant statement on the grace of having loving parents, Hall's mother and father, from the very outset, believed in him and wished for him the opportunity to do in life exactly what he wanted....and her knew from a very young age More...
Much like figure skater Johnny Weir, who today gave an elegant statement on the grace of having loving parents, Hall's mother and father, from the very outset, believed in him and wished for him the opportunity to do in life exactly what he wanted....and her knew from a very young age More...
Oct 23, 2008
Traci
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I was disappointed by this book. It seems to me that Hall is still more proud of his glory days at Harvard and Oxford than he is of anything else he's ever done. The most interesting portion of this book was the last chapter, in which he describes what it's really like to grow old. The language is beautiful, but the story is just not that compelling.
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Jan 01, 2009
Patricia
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Memoir of a poet: the boxes are the remains of his mother's estate, objects from his childhood and adolescence, "model airplanes and toy cars...a baseball glove with its oiled pocket chewed by mice...a thousand poems, novels I wrote at seventeen and nineteen."
Hall was ambitious to be not just a poet, but a great one. The memoir starts strong, with evocative and sensual memories of his childhood, his mother and father, the conflicts between New Hampshire (farm, religion, wo More...
Hall was ambitious to be not just a poet, but a great one. The memoir starts strong, with evocative and sensual memories of his childhood, his mother and father, the conflicts between New Hampshire (farm, religion, wo More...
Jul 12, 2009
Betty
rated it: 
I have been a Donald Hall fan since he spoke at my college. (In this book he talks about his years of traveling around the read at very colleges.) As part of my student job, I had to tape record him. He also signed my copies of the two anthologies he edited, NEW POETS OF ENGLAND AND AMERICA, the textbooks for my Contemporary Poetry class. I've always enjoyed his memoirs as much as his poetry, especially the books about his house in New Hampshire and STRING TOO SHORT TO BE SAVED. Also LIFE WORK.
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Jun 02, 2010
Rose-Marie
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I just finished this book a couple of weeks ago , I loved it for it's honesty. Having lived on a farm in Danbury , New Hampshire from where he wrote this book brought extra meaning for me. I am not looking forward though to getting old.
Jun 09, 2009
Mary
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"Unpacking the Boxes" was my first introduction to Donald Hall's life as a poet/writer. It was actually the title of the book that caught my interest since I have found myself unpacking boxes of books and materials five years later. His life is fascinating and we follow him from his early childhood to faculty member at Michigan to the transition from the security of a tenured professor to poet/writer at Eagle Pond Farm, a homestead in New Hampshire.
The book portrays the de More...
The book portrays the de More...
Dec 17, 2008
Quanda
rated it:
First I have to say that I really enjoyed this man's since of humor, he was quite funny. Bluntly funny. LOL!!!
But I loved this book becuase it offered, innocence, newness, sweetness, and a subtle and shocking sadness. It's about his beginning of life, his traveling journey to becoming who he is today. But I must say that involves you, as if you were there and his personal side kick in his story.
However I must say that his life encounters were amazing and eye opening and More...
But I loved this book becuase it offered, innocence, newness, sweetness, and a subtle and shocking sadness. It's about his beginning of life, his traveling journey to becoming who he is today. But I must say that involves you, as if you were there and his personal side kick in his story.
However I must say that his life encounters were amazing and eye opening and More...
Aug 14, 2009
Joyce
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Who knew that life as a poet was so full of travel, parties, famous people and brilliant conversation? Well, I guess if you're a poet with this pedigree it's to be expected.
I liked his memoir about New Hampshire, String Too Short to Be Saved. Apparently there is no such thing as a string too short to be saved, since this is a completely new book constructed from the same voluminous cache of letters, diaries, manuscripts, and other snippets of a literary life.
It's quite wonderful u More...
I liked his memoir about New Hampshire, String Too Short to Be Saved. Apparently there is no such thing as a string too short to be saved, since this is a completely new book constructed from the same voluminous cache of letters, diaries, manuscripts, and other snippets of a literary life.
It's quite wonderful u More...
Jan 20, 2009
Amy
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This is an interesting book about a very brilliant man. Honestly, I had never heard of him before I started reading this. Guess that goes to show what a good English major I was. Anyway, he was born middle class and excelled to go to Exeter, Harvard and then Oxford. And, the fact that he actually was able to make a living as a poet in this day in age is incredible in and of itself. There are parts of this story that are very tedious to get through, when he describes all of his academic ende
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Jan 01, 2009
Otis
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It's like reading a list of famous poets, one after the other, who Donald Hall has amazingly known - taken classes with and had drinks with - and endless list of reasons to be jealous of his long life devoted to reading and writing. His writing is almost perfect. At times, it feels like reading Joyce. The best section - the most moving section - is "Grief's House" which is about the death of his wife, Jane Kenyon, who was also a poet. It's the section that is was the easiest for me to
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Dec 16, 2008
Jesse
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Having never read Hall's poetry I was interested in reading about his life first. This is a good place to start even though his path to being a poet is a rather well worn one. Hall also wrote a memoir about the death of his wife (the poet, Jane Kenyon), but after reading "Without", Hall's book of poems about his wife's death, I'm glad I started here. "Unpacking the Boxes" gave me good background for the book of poems "Without" without ameliorating the immediate rawn
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Nov 08, 2009
Kasey
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I love Donald Hall so much, especially his work about his life with the poet Jane Kenyon. This book doesn't deal with that topic in much depth, since he has another memoir, The Best Day the Worst Day, all about their marriage and Kenyon's death. But this book is still entertaining and often moving. Wonderfully luminous details of his childhood and his experiences in college and graduate school, and the last chapter, about old age, is incredibly honest and poignant.
Nov 24, 2009
Claudia
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I so enjoyed reading this even though it was depressing at times. Donald Hall was our Poet Laureate from 2006-07 and with his talent tells the story of his life. From his youth in Connecticut to his academic career at Exeter, Harvard and Oxford his story probably rings true of many poets. I would like to sit with him and just talk ........
Dec 19, 2011
Krista
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This is the year (year and a half?) of reading memoirs by writers who lived primarily in New England, most of which I've really enjoyed - and Unpacking the Boxes is no exception. I enjoyed Hall's honesty, his voice (even when it became quite proud), and getting a glimpse into what this writing life looks like, for him. I've only read a few Hall poems, but am interested to read more now. And am even more interested to read "The Best Day the Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon" - a memoi
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May 04, 2009
Kid
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Completely forgettable but that's not necessarily a criticism coming from my brain. It's short - I was curious about a poets' life in 20/21st century America and I read it all compulsively in an afternoon. It did not change my life but I'd recommend it to poets and readers of contemporary poetry.
Apr 04, 2010
Katherine
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The cover of this book evokes the love of books and a lifetime among them as strongly as the words--which feel a little watered down because I have read many of them before in Hall's other memoirs. This feels more like a summary of those other more specific books.
Apr 24, 2009
Tara
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This is not quite as exciting or insightful as I'd hoped. More autobiography than investigation into poetry, and the life story isn't that interesting. If you went to Harvard or Oxford, then the reminiscences and evocations of those places will be entertaining.
Jul 16, 2011
James
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This is a wonderful memoir by a man who sees everhing and everybody in his life in the best light. A poet and writer and teacher, beginning in 2006 he served a term as the Poet Laureate of the United States. By far the most interesting sections of Unpacking the Boxes are those in which he writes about his education at Exeter, Harvard, and Oxford. Those chapters earn the highest marks. He spends little time on his marriage and family. Hall's 2d wife was the poet Jane Kenyon. He apparently c
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Jan 02, 2009
Lesley
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Really interesting and nice and short memoir... The name dropping in the first half gets to be a bit much, but in general I loved reading about Hall's background. His comments on performance were especially intriguing.(p. 131) I'm glad that the part about Jane's illness and death were broken out and given it's own book... if it had been in here it would have overpowered the rest.
Looking forward to hearing Donald Hall perform again at Jazzmouth 2009 in Portsmouth! (http://www.jazzmouth.org More...
Looking forward to hearing Donald Hall perform again at Jazzmouth 2009 in Portsmouth! (http://www.jazzmouth.org More...
Nov 29, 2009
Megan
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I didn't really find this that interesting except for the fact that he went to school with Edward Gorey and was married to a poet who I don't mind. I don't know why I kept reading it so much. I think it's because I'm nosy.
Jan 28, 2009
Angela
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I particularly enjoyed the rich language in his 'nothing happened' childhood. THe middle was rather cumbersome with a lot of namedropping (he's entitled), but the rich prose returned when he poignantly described grieving his wife's death.
Jan 30, 2012
Kyle
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I've read Donald Hall's poetry and a few essays. I didn't really care much for his life. I just love how he writers. So 5 stars for writing.
Jan 01, 2009
Nick
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Honest, moving, interesting. Another wonderful work of remembering by Donald Hall.
Jun 08, 2011
Jensownzoo
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Honestly, I started this book so long ago, that I don't remember a whole lot of particulars about it. I started it in February, read it almost to the end, lost it, found it, then finally finished it. I remember it being interesting, but not gripping, and not a book that I feel that I will have to read again. For those that do not know, Donald Hall, the author, was poet laureate of the United States '06-07. He decided when he was 14 that he would devote his life to poetry and this book relate
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Apr 05, 2010
Jane
rated it:
An informal almost conversational account of the author's life in poetry, his experiences in Oxford, and a painful retelling of the death of his wife, Jane Kenyon, and his own physical miseries as he ages. This work is most suitable for poetry devotees and English majors who recognize the references to the writers who have influenced his life and who drop in and out of this memoir.
