Click here to read reviewer J.M. Cornwell's take on Long Life.

Mary Oliver has a great capacity for delighting the reader. Her prose is pointed without being pretentious; her ability to evoke emotion with just a few words is a true gift. The one about Aunt Agnes will hit close to home for others out there. After all, don’t we all have at least one Aunt Agnes?

With a skillful touch, Oliver sets the scenes of her work until the reader is convinced that they can see what she says exists. Particularly moving is the piece about Nathaniel Hawthorne and Moses from an Old Manse with its intermittent ghostly visits.

If you are a fan of essays and poetry you owe it to yourself to get Long Life as a treat for yourself or someone you love who loves good writing.