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Rating:  - Heavenly
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is greiving over the loss of a loved one.The way that Mark bares his soul over his loss is truly admirable.I love this book.
Rating: - Finding Life from the Portal of Death
Mark Doty is one of the most sensitive poets and writers we have. His books of poetry continue to garner awards, his memoirs are uniquely important literary pursuits, his meditations on art are becoming the Gold Standard. HEAVEN'S COAST is on one level a penetrating diary of the diagnosis and progression of AIDS as it affects Doty and his lover of 12 years Wally Roberts. Yes, there have been many books written about the devastation of this heinous plague, but few writers have found the path to beauty that such a universe-clanging calamity can bring. No Pollyanna treatise here: Doty couldn't write that way under any outside direction. He writes from his heart, from his experience of having loved so deeply that even death does not separate him from the bliss he has know with Wally.
From this elegantly written memoir we learn much about why Doty is able to see the world and its contents in such a special way. He pauses to muse and observe where others would flee in terror. He is able to relate the gradual physical decline of Wally as AIDS slowly but surely consumes his body. He shares his feelings about the medical profession, about friends and family response, about the moments he identifies to incorporate into his soul for food after he is alone.
HEAVEN'S COAST is a factual representation of the course of a still unreal viral disease and its impact on the victim and those around the vitim. But because this memoir is written by the brillant poet Doty is, this book is more about life, learning the meaning of life by embracing death, and ultimately connecting with the cosmos. "Ongoingness, vanishing: the world's twin poles. Each thing disappears; everything goes on. The parts pour into nowhere, the whole continues. And to be nowhere is to be in heaven, isn't it, in the boundless, loose from the limits of time and space? Isn't the whole world heaven's coast?"
This is a book to read and re-read, to share with those whom you love, to offer to those who find no meaning to existence. In short, this book is a miracle.
Rating: - Run don't walk to read this..
I loved this book. There are only a handful of writers that are able to write so beautifully, with such solid fluidity. Doty has the ability to create colorful and rich poetic imagery after the sharp edges of loss consume his life.
I consistently recommend this book to the romantics that I meet, the ones who appreciate words that are sculpted from the emotional side of being human.
Rating: - Heaven
I have only one thing to say - this is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read, in every sense of the word. Read it.
Rating: - Heaven's Coast : A Memoir
The book is moving. The mundane details of daily life are given profound and touching meaning. You may or may not cry. But rest assured you will be moved. You will be changed. And you will find new ways of appreciating the simple beauty that surrounds us all. Even in the midst of terror and darkness, there can be moments of dulcet serenity. Read the book and discover the humanity that binds us all together. Enjoy!
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