The reader gets his or her money's worth . . . The poems, which are by degrees humorous, inventive and heartbreaking, are far more thought-provoking and entertaining than reading the latest financial headlines.
Duhamel is a wily technician, a touching humanist, a poet deserving stardom.
I don't know where we'd be without Denise Duhamel's funny, touching, and inventive poems. In book after book, she's raised her own bar, and in this new one reaches a zenith of postmodern tricksterism, while at the same time tackling feminist and political issues, as well as personal tragedy. Ka-Ching! is a treasure trove of a book.
This is the wildest, most honest book of poetry written in a long time. The various forms Duhamel uses prove that her imagination is keen and totally unpredictable. Dominated by prose poems, the book ranges across every contemporary worry, obsession, and conflict possible. The result is a voice that brings solutions to the challenges of everyday life while investigating how language rebuilds hope in a troubled and chaotic time.
Reliably sharp and entertaining. Duhamel's knack for blending tones—especially the personal and sociological, the ludicrous and the horrifying, the silly and the pathetic—gives poem after poem its distinctive and unforgettable character.
Duhamel's blunt, occasionally playful voice is versatile . . . Although long lines and expository prose blocks dominate this collection, the poet's lyricism emerges in moments when she employs traditional form in surprising ways. Duhamel . . . has written some of the first poetry to deeply register the current economic crisis.
With their playful ingenuity, the poems in Ka-Ching lull you into just plain enjoying them, but when you're finished you realize what sharp observations of contemporary America they contain. This is an extraordinarily original book, often making old forms look new, and filled with both acidic criticism and generous wisdom.
With wry intelligence and wit, Duhamel's Ka-Ching! explores the mysteries of luck and accident in the welter of pop culture and private struggle. From a child's monopoly money to the harsh realities of aging parents recovering from a horrifying accident, her colloquial ease belies the poignancy of human predicament, celebrates the resilience of imagination, and leaves us with poems in which we recognize anew the wealth of our language, our lucky hearts.
Duhamel keeps alive the bright-eyed, naughty little girl, innocently letting shocking revelations slip out in flustered distraction, without her seeming to notice-but don't be fooled, this is a woman of power. She is funny and charming and unique. Her poems shine, a beacon in a dark time, fulfilling poetry's duty not only of refreshing the language but, with their humanity and clear thinking, lighting up the path for a country in need of honesty and cheer.
Duhamel’s blunt, occasionally playful voice is versatile . . . Although long lines and expository prose blocks dominate this collection, the poet’s lyricism emerges in moments when she employs traditional form in surprising ways. Duhamel . . . has written some of the first poetry to deeply register the current economic crisis.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This is the wildest, most honest book of poetry written in a long time. The various forms Duhamel uses prove that her imagination is keen and totally unpredictable. Dominated by prose poems, the book ranges across every contemporary worry, obsession, and conflict possible. The result is a voice that brings solutions to the challenges of everyday life while investigating how language rebuilds hope in a troubled and chaotic time.”
—The Bloomsbury Review
“Duhamel is a wily technician, a touching humanist, a poet deserving stardom.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“This is the wildest, most honest book of poetry written in a long time. The various forms Duhamel uses prove that her imagination is keen and totally unpredictable. Dominated by prose poems, the book ranges across every contemporary worry, obsession, and conflict possible. The result is a voice that brings solutions to the challenges of everyday life while investigating how language rebuilds hope in a troubled and chaotic time.”
—The Bloomsbury Review
“Duhamel is a wily technician, a touching humanist, a poet deserving stardom.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Reliably sharp and entertaining. Duhamel’s knack for blending tones—especially the personal and sociological, the ludicrous and the horrifying, the silly and the pathetic—gives poem after poem its distinctive and unforgettable character.”
—ALA Booklist, starred review
