Leah Newman's Robert Frost: The People, Places, and Stories Behind His New England Poetry provides an invaluable companion to the beloved poetry of Robert Frost. Newman not only provides the context of Frost's personal history as a backdrop for his poetry, but also provides key literary references, literary criticism, and annotations on the reception of his work in his lifetime. The essays accompanying Frost's poems are lively and warm, often punctuated by Frost's own words. Newman brings Frost's relationships to his family and his work to life in this collection, without diminishing the richness or subtlety of his poetry. I highly recommend this volume to life-long students of Frost's work as well as newcomers.

Lea Newman is able to make her reader's introduction to a major American poet easy, fun and memorable in Robert Frost: The People, Places And Stories Behind His New England Poetry. Newman's concise and informative essays accompany each of thirty-six of Frost's early New England poems including his "The Road Not Taken"; "Mending Wall"; "The Death Of The Hired Man"; and "Birches". Biographical information and his own commentaries provides insights into what Frost was doing and thinking when he wrote each poem. Newman's format of combining essay and poetry enables the reader to experience Frost's poetry with a fresh appreciation and insight. Robert Frost is "must" reading for anyone who ever thrilled to this great man's poetic genius and enduring wisdom.