These sonnets sing about a love of the landscape of New Hampshire and the people who rejoice in common in its sense of place.
At times, this earthly paradise is daunting, formidable and even threatening. Yet the skiing is divine. The mountains are sublime. The purity of the lakes is pristine. The small towns charm. The seacoast, though brief, connects to the vast Atlantic.
This modest poetic book refreshes the sonnet itself with songs and beautiful full-color images of landscapes inspired by the land and people who love New Hampshire.
"Elegant meditations." - Terry Richard Bazes, Novelist, Author of "Goldsmith's Return"
"His poetry is meant to be read aloud, savored and reread." - Virginia Marciano
"Lentz' sonnets exist in an existential, romantic world of sentience." - John H. Sibley, Author of "Being and Homelessness: Notes from an Underground Artist"
"Lentz succeeds in bringing out the emotions associated with these places and times, letting the reader drench in the beauty, the loneliness, the joy." - Leonard Seet, Novelist and Author of "The Spiritual Life"
"Expressed so clearly, the tender feelings of his sonnets are eternal." - Krishna Bhatt, Novelist and Author of "The Royal Enigma"
"The use of a seven-beat line, which blends the beat of the classic ballad to the rhythms of the sonnet, is a nice innovation." - Christopher Bernard, Poet and Author of "In the American Night"
“The reason the book succeeds on such a high level is Lentz’s lyricism and his wry humor and his grounding in simple things. He sees the magic under the everyday. It all adds up to a love of the deep mystery of living, of nature, of Man, and an ability to limn it in verse as musical as birds or brooks. Lentz is a writer of rare acuity.” – Corey Mesler, Author of "Memphis Movie: A Novel"
"A delight to read. Lentz captures in verse many of my own experiences where I call home. The beauty and ever-changing world around us provides a new perspective. Many of these I read several times. Many lines should be read aloud, repeated or pause for effect. There are lines worth savoring written in a number of sonnet forms: Petrarchan or Italian... Occitan... Elizabethan and Spenserian... Miltonic, Shelley and Lentzian. Here is a celebration of nature and the common man, the lakes and towns, the streams and villages, the people." - Goodreads
"This book honors the ordinary man and the beauty inherent in commonplace scenes and human emotions... 'Sonnets on the Common Man' is a fine collection teeming with intelligent thought expressed in wonderfully poetic language. I enjoyed reading it and recommend it highly." - Patricia Halloff, Author of "At Journey's End"