brancrisp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
3.0
Clever concept and a gorgeous command of poetic diction. I love the strong postcolonial themes in Sinclair's collection, interweaving motifs of created women (Shakespeare's Caliban, Genesis' Eve) within the created image of Jamaican woman/daughter/mother/poet. Such lines like "Sunset. That blood-orange hymn / combusting the year, nautilus chamber / of youth's obscurities..." or "men I wore like petticoats, sweet playthings" have me speechless, but this poet's poet has a number of poems whose lyrical language gets so bogged down in its saturated metaphors that I feel distanced from the emotional register she's trying to convey. And some of the poems are almost too sanitized. The ones in which she's less self-conscious resonate, but others try to take on really intriguing content without justifying why it's rewritten in verse (i.e. why not just let the content speak for itself, a la Tracy K Smith's found poetry, rather than saddle the reader with paragraph-long epigraphs and dense purple prose, but lineated?) I am impressed with the poetic intellect in Sinclair's work and look forward to seeing her grow in her writing career!
woolgatherer's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
If I’m honest, I didn’t love this collection and found it difficult to get into it. In the author’s defense, I will say that I definitely wasn’t in the greatest headspace while reading this, but I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it even if I was in the mood. This is definitely a me thing than anything— I just wasn’t a huge fan of the style presented in this collection.
To shine the good about this collection though, the imagery is incredible, especially when Sinclair talks about Jamaica. I also thought the way she dove into racism and colonialism was utterly powerful. Considering these things, I do want to read more of Sinclair’s works, in hopes that I’ll enjoy those more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Slavery
megansoetaert's review against another edition
4.0
safiya sinclair was born to be a poet. i recently read her memoir, and couldn’t wait to read this collection. it’s full of imagery, nature, selfhood, and passion for her homeland, Jamaica. i’m glad i read her memoir first—it helped me understand some of the poems a lot better.
booksandteatime's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Racism
fourfootedbeasts's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
sber8121's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
lewislikesbooks's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
kjboldon's review against another edition
5.0
Full of rage, beautiful language, sex, history, and ferocious self examination.