Scan barcode
balletbookworm's review
4.0
An exquisitely wrought group of poems, each very precisely tuned. I stumbled a little in several sections with references/metaphor - The Ressurectionists section is the most accessible - but was definitely rewarded by the “work” of reading. (I’d advise revisiting Berryman’s Dream Songs when reading the Mirror Songs section)
novel_nomad's review
4.0
4.5 Empowering Poetic Stars
I have always had a strange relationship with poetry, where it finds me after multiple readings and each time I glean a deeper message from the carefully arranged words. With Brittany Cavallaro's Girl-King, I did require a second and in some cases third reading, but the power and developing narrative across the entire collection kept me enraptured. An early step in my quest to read more poetry, and personally it was a beautifully symbolic step in the right direction.
I have always had a strange relationship with poetry, where it finds me after multiple readings and each time I glean a deeper message from the carefully arranged words. With Brittany Cavallaro's Girl-King, I did require a second and in some cases third reading, but the power and developing narrative across the entire collection kept me enraptured. An early step in my quest to read more poetry, and personally it was a beautifully symbolic step in the right direction.
lauren_endnotes's review
2.0
Based on Cavallaro's short bio here on GR, I see that she considers herself a "Sherlockian" and has actually written a YA series in that theme. In Girl-King, she sets the majority of poems in this same dark and shadowed space, gothic and macabre, "cabinet of curiosity" style. While I too like this period, the poetry didn't always work for me - your mileage may vary.
Highlight section for me was The Resurrectionists and the various cadavers and their imagined lives. At least I think that was what was happening...
Highlight section for me was The Resurrectionists and the various cadavers and their imagined lives. At least I think that was what was happening...
mdemanatee's review
I am trying to get more info poetry. I love this author, and I loved the premise of this collection. The writing was exquisite. But also I think I only understood a fraction of what was going on here. This is definitely one I will want to revisit.
More...