chloemills's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars, I just couldn’t find a rhythm with these poems and personally really struggle when they’re written phonetically. Not one for me!
contemporarymeepsie's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
duncanvb's review against another edition
4.0
More of a hard drive dump than a coherent collection, and the commissioned poems are hit and miss, but when she gets into the weeds of grief, family and identity, hoo boy!
lucyptgw's review
2.0
A very quick read but unfortunately this wasn't the book for me. I enjoyed some of the poems more than others but I didn't connect with this collection at all.
readingwithkt's review
4.0
A delightful, yet short, collection of poems from Jackie Kay, who is quickly becoming a favourite writer of mine, after my having read three of her works in as many weeks.
This collection, narrated by the author, speaks to Kay’s love for Scotland: the vibrant, diverse Scotland which I love. I especially loved Kay’s love letter to the islands of Scotland and Scotland’s diverse population. Listening to the audiobook while I cooked the dinner meant that I missed the title, but it was beautiful and brought me a lot of joy.
Kay also writes a poem to wonderful, vibrant, Glasgow, and to the towns oft neglected in mainstream narratives about Scotland. She writes about Scotland’s lochs, too, and its nature. One thing felt true and genuine in this collection: Kay has a deep love for Scotland.
However, Scotland is not romanticised. Indeed, in another poem, Kay writes from the perspective of a refugee who is seeking home comforts. Stomach bloated from strange foods, yearning to be able to afford to buy more familiar products and some nice clothes to make herself feel good. This poem made my heart ache, and I thought of Mercy Baguma, who tragically lost her life in Scotland earlier this year, failed by a country which claims itself welcoming. This thought reminds me of an excerpt from the essay Invisible Europe by Dubravka Ugresic, that reads “refugees and migrants serve as a mirror, a test, a challenge, a summons to confront our values.” To which I thought: “Scotland is open”... only if you can afford it.
Another poem that I had a strong reaction to was one called ‘Farage Futures’ or something... I wish I could refer to a physical copy to confirm the names. Here, Kay writes about Brexit, it’s impact upon the UK and upon Scottish people, who overwhelmingly voted against it. I thought it was a little firecracker of a poem and found myself reacting aloud to it’s brilliance.
In Bantam, Kay also writes about her family, and so some of the poems felt very intimate and personal. Having only read her fiction before diving into this, I felt it was a good glimpse into Jackie Kay as a person, a person whom I would like to learn more about.
I’m glad I read this little collection, and I really enjoyed Jackie Kay’s narration of the audiobook. Would highly recommend for lovers of Scottish literature!
This collection, narrated by the author, speaks to Kay’s love for Scotland: the vibrant, diverse Scotland which I love. I especially loved Kay’s love letter to the islands of Scotland and Scotland’s diverse population. Listening to the audiobook while I cooked the dinner meant that I missed the title, but it was beautiful and brought me a lot of joy.
Kay also writes a poem to wonderful, vibrant, Glasgow, and to the towns oft neglected in mainstream narratives about Scotland. She writes about Scotland’s lochs, too, and its nature. One thing felt true and genuine in this collection: Kay has a deep love for Scotland.
However, Scotland is not romanticised. Indeed, in another poem, Kay writes from the perspective of a refugee who is seeking home comforts. Stomach bloated from strange foods, yearning to be able to afford to buy more familiar products and some nice clothes to make herself feel good. This poem made my heart ache, and I thought of Mercy Baguma, who tragically lost her life in Scotland earlier this year, failed by a country which claims itself welcoming. This thought reminds me of an excerpt from the essay Invisible Europe by Dubravka Ugresic, that reads “refugees and migrants serve as a mirror, a test, a challenge, a summons to confront our values.” To which I thought: “Scotland is open”... only if you can afford it.
Another poem that I had a strong reaction to was one called ‘Farage Futures’ or something... I wish I could refer to a physical copy to confirm the names. Here, Kay writes about Brexit, it’s impact upon the UK and upon Scottish people, who overwhelmingly voted against it. I thought it was a little firecracker of a poem and found myself reacting aloud to it’s brilliance.
In Bantam, Kay also writes about her family, and so some of the poems felt very intimate and personal. Having only read her fiction before diving into this, I felt it was a good glimpse into Jackie Kay as a person, a person whom I would like to learn more about.
I’m glad I read this little collection, and I really enjoyed Jackie Kay’s narration of the audiobook. Would highly recommend for lovers of Scottish literature!
balancinghistorybooks's review
3.0
Bantam is Jackie Kay's newest poetry collection, and the first taste which I have had of her work. It is about grief, and love, and whilst some of the poems here are powerful, thoughtful, and memorable, I was not as struck by the collection as I expected to be. It is undoubtedly creative, and tackles a lot of themes, but it did not quite feel like a coherent collection to me. I do, however, want to read more of her work to see how it compares.
From 'Small':
'The gift of a bluebell, an embrace,
Oh - the yellow gorse,
the small brown foals,
the crows lined up
from the main window.
Beauty, riches close to sorrow.'
From 'Is It Christmas?':
'The moons came and the suns slid.
The names for things came, then hid.'
From 'Silver Moon':
'Black and white striped spires, tiny irons, Viragos, Shebas,
The distinct spiral on the cover of your old Bell Jar
Your skin's pages, your heart's ink, your brain's Word Power.'
From 'Beech Road Park':
'You lost your winter scarf, my love.
And the trees lost their auburn hair.
I lost a single rust-red glove.
I thought I saw - but you were not there.'
From 'Smith Myth' (dedicated to Ali Smith):
'There is somebody who has the gift of nobody.
In the beautiful black night at the edge of the old canal,
I could just vanish; or I could choose to live.
There is nobody who is not a somebody -
Whose heart is not open like a road.'
From 'Mr Bronte's Fear of Fire':
'Maybe Mr Bronte had no word for it but fire
So - a man should fear it, the thing that runs ahead,
Consuming everything he loves, until it dawns too late:
There is no fire curtain to draw in any store room
Between the living and the dead.'
From 'Small':
'The gift of a bluebell, an embrace,
Oh - the yellow gorse,
the small brown foals,
the crows lined up
from the main window.
Beauty, riches close to sorrow.'
From 'Is It Christmas?':
'The moons came and the suns slid.
The names for things came, then hid.'
From 'Silver Moon':
'Black and white striped spires, tiny irons, Viragos, Shebas,
The distinct spiral on the cover of your old Bell Jar
Your skin's pages, your heart's ink, your brain's Word Power.'
From 'Beech Road Park':
'You lost your winter scarf, my love.
And the trees lost their auburn hair.
I lost a single rust-red glove.
I thought I saw - but you were not there.'
From 'Smith Myth' (dedicated to Ali Smith):
'There is somebody who has the gift of nobody.
In the beautiful black night at the edge of the old canal,
I could just vanish; or I could choose to live.
There is nobody who is not a somebody -
Whose heart is not open like a road.'
From 'Mr Bronte's Fear of Fire':
'Maybe Mr Bronte had no word for it but fire
So - a man should fear it, the thing that runs ahead,
Consuming everything he loves, until it dawns too late:
There is no fire curtain to draw in any store room
Between the living and the dead.'
More...