Poetry book suggestions for young widow

Don't give a poetry book to anybody, unless you know their taste in poetry .

I too would counsel against such a gift.
So easy to get it wrong - flowers, coffee and a sympathetic shoulder, practical help eg with children if there are any, an invitation to lunch, your company - anything but a poetry book.

Agree with others.
If you think poetry is really just the ticket then google poetry to comfort the bereaved.

What made you think of getting poetry as a gift? Do you know if she reads poems already (very few people do), and whether she has a favourite poet? If not, you might find it lives on a shelf.

Having said that, if you are looking for anthologies (ie books of poems by a lot of different poets) rather than a collection by a single poet, I would recommend one of the series that consists of Being Alive, Staying Alive, Being Human and Staying Human. All are published by Bloodaxe, and are all excellent. If I had to choose one, I would go for Staying Alive.

Doodledog

What made you think of getting poetry as a gift? Do you know if she reads poems already (very few people do), and whether she has a favourite poet? If not, you might find it lives on a shelf.

Having said that, if you are looking for anthologies (ie books of poems by a lot of different poets) rather than a collection by a single poet, I would recommend one of the series that consists of Being Alive, Staying Alive, Being Human and Staying Human. All are published by Bloodaxe, and are all excellent. If I had to choose one, I would go for Staying Alive.

I wouldn't give a new widow a book titled "Staying alive"

There are some comforting poems, often read at funerals but you need to know that this gift will be appreciated IMO.

I wish people would answer the question asked on here! I know this lady very well she is passed the initial gut wrenching first stage of grieve and would find poetry a comfort as she adjusts to her new world. I wanted suggestion on books not comment on what to send. The most useful gifts she got were practical food items that had a long shelf life or vouchers for takeaways. So many flowers she had to give them away. Don’t send flowers unless you do it further down the line, maybe after the funeral.

I wish people would answer the question asked on here!

With the paucity of information, posters did their best.
Was she widowed in the last week, year, ten years ago?

Does she like Chaucer, Tennyson, Keats, Wordsworth, Hilaire Belloc, Pam Ayres, Spike Milligan for instance?

I like Brian Bilston- he's funny and a really nice guy to boot.

He has several books.

I wouldn't give a new widow a book titled "Staying alive"
Fair point. It’s a great book though. Maybe better to go with one of the ‘human’ ones.

Donna Ashworth.