Woolgathering Hardcover – November 28, 2011

my book club loved patti smith's book of days, and were curious about "woolgathering."

Another poetic beauty from the beloved Patti Smith!

Forty years ago, Patti Smith changed rock music with the release of Horses. She combined Beat sensibility with outraged punk, confounding critics and listeners alike. She embraced androgyny, sexuality, sensuality and sensibility in her music, poetry, writing and spoken word performance art, and was Robert Mapplethorp's muse. Now she has emerged as one of America's finest prose writers, and most certainly Woolgathering is a testament to her talent. Written and published when Smith turned 45, Woolgathering is a collection of childhood memories, stories she says are true as she remembers them. They are woven together in a stream-of-consciousness recollection, reading Woolgathering is like lying on the grass on a summer afternoon staring up at the sky and watching clouds drift and float and meander overhead. The sky is Smith's narrative, and her memories clouds.It makes no difference that almost 25 years has past since Smith spent some time gathering the wool of her memories and imagination and translated them into ink on paper.Don't expect Just Kids, don't expect Babel; have no expectations, and just relax and read as if sky-gazing as clouds pass overhead.

Love everything about this book. Love the size, love the cover art, and love the content. A very relaxing dreamy read

Patti Smith once again graces us with the opportunity to get inside not her head, but her soul. Patti does not hold anything back. She shares everything she has inside her with such care that it makes you feel as if you were becoming her, with that intimate relationship the book offers you. This short tiny book offers more deep thoughts than 700 page books. Recommended to any person who can read. A must for every human.

This is a beautiful, magical little book. Patti Smith is such a fantastic writer. This book is very small. I read it within the hour. I really wanted it so I could put it on my bookshelf along with my other Patty Smith books and poetry collections I have. I'll be reading this again. Her words are haunting.

Patti Smith has such an unusual mind and way of expressing its thoughts. I am a big fan and can only say that for those people who like her unique self this book is a pleasure. Also as it is short it might be a nice introduction for those readers who are not familiar with her or her written work.

I had a friend recommend this book when he saw it sitting on the table of a library and thought of me. How he described it was enough for me to want to purchase 'Woolgathering' and it has been a wonderful edition to my ever-growing collection of good reads. It's perfect to read on these cooler Fall days.

Short enough to read at a single sitting, Woolgathering is a strange interlude. No doubt, as Patti hopes, it will fill U 2 with a "vague and curious joy". It certainly did me .Patti's usual stream of consciousness : mystic, lyrical prose. She's convinced she's descended from a long line of shepherds !In Woolgathering she revisits vivid memories from her childhood : the death of her dog Bambi. Her sister Kimberley : the babe in her arms as the black barn burns . Entwined with her memories are half-remembered dreams and glimpses into a spiritual world : that other dimension Patti constantly seeks in all of her work.Unlike later work - M Train and Year Of The Monkey - all the journeying in Woolgathering is done in the mind. Patti's location is fixed : the old stone house she shares with her husband - Fred - and their 2 children.Rather than plot, drama and suspense, Patti writes about feelings, moods and emotions. In short about being. About what it means to be human. Never better than in Woolgathering.

Patti Smith can do no wrong in my eyes and this early collection of poetry is brilliant.

F* brilliant!

Raw, other-worldly art. Hugely inspiring.

just a wonderful book as with all Patti Smiths she is magic with words