Wild Flight

Walt McDonald First-Book Series in Poetry

by Christine Rhein, Robert A. Fink (Introduction)

Soaring across extensive terrain, from the working world of Detroit to American suburbia and pop culture, from the European landscape of World War II to the current war in Iraq, Christine Rhein opens her personal world to the world at large. In poems that explore the historical, social, and scientific as well as the poignant and humorous, Rhein relishes life's juxtapositions.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2008

Reviews

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a friend of the author but aware that Chris' voice is unique. She's the daughter of German parents who were raised during WW2. Early in this book the poems explore her father's experiences as a child during the war and immediately afterward. It's powerful and told from a perspective that is rarely heard.

Later in the book you'll note her background as an engineer her compassion for the poor and the suffering, and for her wonder of children.

One of my favorite poems though is about Chris and her husband, Chuck sharing drinks in their Michigan kitchen on a Friday night. Maybe it's because I've had one or two of Chuck's martinis - but it reminds me that even the everyday events in our life are to be treasured.

http://www.christinerhein.com/index.html

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christine Rhein makes a stunning debut in Wild Flight, distinguishing herself immediately with poems of grace and intelligence. It may interest her readers that this poet is also an automotive engineer. Her eye for detail, the rhythms and timing of her lines, the sureness and finesse of her prosody all reflect her how she designs her poems as vehicles for her keen sense of paradox. Turning her eye toward science, technology, human relationships, love and war, she never merely describes a thing, but persuades us to a point of view that is subtle and sophisticated, sympathetic but challenging, funny and almost warm to the touch with each living moment. For me, Wild Flight is in the first rank of first books.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had meant to just read the intro and then maybe a poem or two today, but I couldn't put this down, and finished it in one sitting. This is a solid collection of poetry, and I admire the author's wide range of abilities and interests-- from science to history to art. There is a space for all of that here. Also, as a Michigan native whose dad was born in Europe and whose grandparents lived through World War Two, I really felt the geography of the book in particular. Don't know why I hadn't heard of this author 'til recently; I will certainly be looking for more of her work!

[Linda Sienkiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Flight is a stunning debut. Rhein doesn't shy away from difficult subject matter, moving deftly from a librarian trying to rescue books in Sarajevo, to her father at fourteen in WWII Germany, to a housecleaner in Detroit who cries for the son she left at home. She ties together war and home, love and death, math, science, beauty, heartbreak, and subtle humor in words and lines that leave you hungering for more.

[Nancy]

My review of the book is here: http://nancychenlong.blogspot.com/201...