Seasons of the Heart

Lois Duncan
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595427659
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher of Reader Views (9/07)


When most people hear the name of author Lois Duncan, they think of her 48 best-selling novels or her most famous one, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” not a beautiful book of poetry.  “Seasons of the Heart” came about when this award-winning novelist was approached over and over again about writing her autobiography.  She realized that she had a collection of poems that she started writing at the age of 10 that chronicled her life and this book is that collection of poems. 

“Seasons of the Heart” is broken down into seasons of Lois Duncan’s life.  Springtime is the beginning of her life through the school years.  Her collection of poems began at the age of 10 and I was amazed at the quality of her writing at such a young age.  She must have been an English teacher’s dream.   The poems expressed the joy of discovery and frustrations of being a teenager. 

Summer was about Duncan’s early adulthood.  This included her marriage at 19, the joy of being a mom, and the heartbreak of divorce when she was 27.  She became a single mom to three young children when her husband fell in love with someone else.  She left Florida and struck out on her own in New Mexico.  After several successful years supporting her kids, she got remarried and had two more children.  Her second marriage has been a very happy one.  My favorite poem from this group was “the Requiem for a 40th birthday.”   

Autumn was a good time for Duncan.  Her career took off, she graduated from college at 43 and she enjoyed watching her family grow up.  The poems from this time period poked fun at the aging process – “Ode to my teeth.” 

Winter was a heartbreaking for Duncan because her youngest child was murdered shortly after high school graduation in 1989.  Frustrated by the police dropping the investigation, she published her best seller “Who Killed My Daughter.”  After receiving several death threats, she relocated to Florida to her roots.  She and her husband Don created a Real Crimes website in 2002 to help families keep police cases alive.  She keeps hoping that her daughter’s crime will be solved. Her poems – “the glasses” and “the first Christmas without her,” will bring tears to your eyes.  
 
The book ends with poems from a second spring.  The poems from this era reflect her enjoyment at being a grandmother.   The poems are written for her grandchildren and often include lessons about bad habits. 

Overall, I found “Seasons of the Heart” to be a beautifully-written book with a wonderful approach to an autobiography.  All audiences would enjoy it, from teenagers to poetry fans, and especially Lois Duncan fans (that would include almost everybody!).

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