andymoon's review against another edition
2.0
His poetry is definitely imaginative and unique, its language wonderful especially dealing with the macabre. But I just couldn't get into or connect with anything, and was left feeling really 'meh.'
prosenotbros's review against another edition
4.0
Faves include: "In Heaven," "Fire," "Dear Space," "King," "Halcion," "The Summer's Over, Jack Spicer!"
autumnrevisited's review
emotional
sad
fast-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
5.0
Heartbreaking and utterly raw.
maybeams's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
last poem is a feat and really sold the whole thing for me
mgreco5's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, maybe I'm biased, but I really thought this book was great. Matthew Dickman is one of my favorite poets but as with any author/band/artist/etc I was a little concerned that his sophomore effort would not live up to the love I have for his first book. This book is certainly different from "All-American Poem," but it shows maturity, depth, and Dickman's signature humor. This book deals a lot with the death of Dickman's brother, among other topics. So, it will probably depress you, but it's totally worth it.
biglibraryenergy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
adammck's review against another edition
3.0
Some beautiful and painful observations (mostly about childhood), some clumsy revelations ("the moon is wearing a white kimono that covers most of her legs. I always knew she was Japanese!") and a few intimate whisperings that are just trying too hard ("Your ass is a shopping mall at Christmas, a holy place, a hill I fell in love with once when I was falling in love with hills.")
b1rdie's review against another edition
3.0
i think i’d like this less if i was a happier person but alas i am not. also, modern poetry i like!!
monasterymonochrome's review against another edition
3.0
This collection was just okay for me. A handful of the poems were really powerful and made me want to go back and reread them several times. More often, though, the poems kind of washed over me without leaving any real impression or started out promising but ended up disappointing. A lot of them felt half-finished while others seemed a tad too obvious and heavy-handed in their themes. Maybe the style was just too casual and conversational for me, as often, I found myself thinking that some of the language choices were lazy or lacking any real presence. I also found myself struggling to relate to the poems that seemed to center on super-specific, super-personal experiences without really succeeding at giving them a universal angle. I do want to stress that when it was on, it was really on; this just didn't happen often enough for my liking. Recommended: "In Heaven," "Gas Station," "Blue Sky," "Field," "Get It Right."
jdgcreates's review against another edition
4.0
God, I love Matthew Dickman's poetry. It's like opening a Wonka bar to find a Golden Ticket. It's like being kissed on a rainy night as the drops play a song on the roof. Or like stubbing your toe. Hard. It is sweet and Alive, and sometimes terribly painful.
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