A review by maryhastoomanybooks
Paper Bones by Sherry Rentschler
5.0
I am no poetry expert. I have friends who write poetry that slips off their tongues so elegantly that all I can do is envy them, but I've never been too great at writing it. Or judging it, for that matter (sometimes deeper meaning just flies over my head!).
However, I know what it is like to enjoy poetry. And I enjoyed Sherry Rentschler's poetry immensely.
First of all, I read this collection of poems in a single day. In less than eight hours, including going to school, celebrating my dad's birthday, and catching up on Korean dramas. And I never read poetry that quickly. So, if anything, the speed at which I finished Sherry's book is a testament to how engaging it is.
Second, my favorite thing about these poems is that Sherry does not waste words. At all. Oftentimes I find myself bored by poetry because the poems I'm reading waste time with pretty language and whatnot. I can pick out parts that are pointless. But in Sherry's poems, every single solitary word gives new meaning to the poem. She doesn't ramble, doesn't waste any time. She says what needs to be said, and what she means to say, and I am so thankful for and awed by that.
Third, I don't think I've ever, in my entire life, gotten so many chills while reading a book of poems. Ordinarily, one or two in a collection stick out to me as the "best" or the "most enjoyable," but with this book, every single time I think, "yes, this is my favorite poem!" I turn the page and a new poem takes that number one spot. I'm thrilled by every poem, and every picture, in this book, and that is so amazing! All through the day, when I had to stop reading and do work or sing Happy Birthday, it physically pained me to mark my spot and set the book down. I'm not exactly sure how I got so attached to these poems, but I did. And I think that is wonderful.
All in all, I really, thoroughly enjoyed these poems. I laughed, I teared up (in the middle of band, when they were playing "When You Wish Upon a Star" and I was reading "The Flip Side"), I held my breath, and my heart raced. It was a marvelous experience, and one that will probably be repeated again and again each time I read this fantastic work.
However, I know what it is like to enjoy poetry. And I enjoyed Sherry Rentschler's poetry immensely.
First of all, I read this collection of poems in a single day. In less than eight hours, including going to school, celebrating my dad's birthday, and catching up on Korean dramas. And I never read poetry that quickly. So, if anything, the speed at which I finished Sherry's book is a testament to how engaging it is.
Second, my favorite thing about these poems is that Sherry does not waste words. At all. Oftentimes I find myself bored by poetry because the poems I'm reading waste time with pretty language and whatnot. I can pick out parts that are pointless. But in Sherry's poems, every single solitary word gives new meaning to the poem. She doesn't ramble, doesn't waste any time. She says what needs to be said, and what she means to say, and I am so thankful for and awed by that.
Third, I don't think I've ever, in my entire life, gotten so many chills while reading a book of poems. Ordinarily, one or two in a collection stick out to me as the "best" or the "most enjoyable," but with this book, every single time I think, "yes, this is my favorite poem!" I turn the page and a new poem takes that number one spot. I'm thrilled by every poem, and every picture, in this book, and that is so amazing! All through the day, when I had to stop reading and do work or sing Happy Birthday, it physically pained me to mark my spot and set the book down. I'm not exactly sure how I got so attached to these poems, but I did. And I think that is wonderful.
All in all, I really, thoroughly enjoyed these poems. I laughed, I teared up (in the middle of band, when they were playing "When You Wish Upon a Star" and I was reading "The Flip Side"), I held my breath, and my heart raced. It was a marvelous experience, and one that will probably be repeated again and again each time I read this fantastic work.