lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
5.0
Made me think of seeing my own dog of 12-ish years decline prior to his death. Wish I'd had an ending with him as beautiful as this.
earlydecember's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
life_onthe_shelf's review against another edition
4.0
Do you ever judge a book by its cover?
To be honest, I’m not a fan of this book cover. That’s why I was very skeptical about reading it and probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t required for my summer class.
However, the poems SURPRISED me. They were easy to understand and follow. There are a few different animals present throughout the poems and not just birds, but overall, the poems tie together to tell a story about a lesbian couple who were faced with the death of a mother and eventually struggled to stay married. The poems are split into four sections, and there are many gems in each. I’m sure you’ll find a favorite. I know I did—hint, it’s on page eighty-one!
If you like poem books that tell a story, this is one for your to-be-read list!
Four stars!
To be honest, I’m not a fan of this book cover. That’s why I was very skeptical about reading it and probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t required for my summer class.
However, the poems SURPRISED me. They were easy to understand and follow. There are a few different animals present throughout the poems and not just birds, but overall, the poems tie together to tell a story about a lesbian couple who were faced with the death of a mother and eventually struggled to stay married. The poems are split into four sections, and there are many gems in each. I’m sure you’ll find a favorite. I know I did—hint, it’s on page eighty-one!
If you like poem books that tell a story, this is one for your to-be-read list!
Four stars!
kaitlinmcnabb's review against another edition
I read this book in an evening -- something I haven't done in a very, very long time.
This was a beautiful, if not devastating read and totally unlike anything I have ever read before. It felt very honest and open and I felt very much connected to the writer as they walked us through their journey.
This was a beautiful, if not devastating read and totally unlike anything I have ever read before. It felt very honest and open and I felt very much connected to the writer as they walked us through their journey.
meghanc303's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to hear Ali read at Booksoup in Weho, and I can't recommend trying to catch her in person enough! Not only is she a devastating writer (I mean like it felt like my heart was being slowly separated from my check with a thousand tiny nails) but she's incredibly funny in a way you'd never guess from this beautiful memoir-in-poems collection.
Some of my favorite lines, as a teaser for you:
"I've become a walking urn of my own ashes/
it doesn't matter, worthy or unworthy depression/
the ashes gather at the same winter rate"
"this is the kind of courtship I understand/
one lover throwing themself in front of a car/
every four seconds in order to seduce the other"
Some of my favorite lines, as a teaser for you:
"I've become a walking urn of my own ashes/
it doesn't matter, worthy or unworthy depression/
the ashes gather at the same winter rate"
"this is the kind of courtship I understand/
one lover throwing themself in front of a car/
every four seconds in order to seduce the other"
jackieeh's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautiful book inside and out. A moving meditation on grief.
blreed's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite type of poetry--straightforward, specific, visual, and tactile--about overlapping losses and griefs. A partner's mothers's death; a divorce; the impending death of a beloved, aging dog: topics that could be saccharine or bogged down by sentimentality, but Liebegott keeps her writing sharp and painful. Great stuff.