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gwenswoons's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just finished this and wept (not for the first time while reading it). I have physical copies of both this and Family Lore (which is next-ish on my TBR, esp now ❤️), but I downloaded The Poet X on audio on a whim a week ago - read by the author herself, so gorgeously it stops the heart. I’ve been listening on the way to and from my quartet rehearsals this week, and kept often having to turn it back a minute to just hear the words one more time, sometimes two - every single line, word, moment is so precious and so unlike anything I have ever read. I cannot tell you how much you need to read this book. Every word is a miracle.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Homophobia
bookrecsondeck's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
nat_kiverse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Cursing, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
youraveragewarlock's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Finishing this book on public transportation while a song called "chasing tomorrow" plays in the background was a lot. Especially since I was trying so hard not to cry. Beautiful book with incredibly relatable themes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Homophobia
rebeccafarren's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
beldaran1224's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I highly recommend the audiobook, as the narrator (also the author) does an exceptional job at giving voice to Xiomara. It a coming-of-age story that will move you over and over, and for adults, will remind us of what it means to be a teen just figuring things out. It isn't an easy story - Xiomara goes through a lot.
The only reason this isn't 5 stars is the ending isa bit too neatly wrapped up, with abusers doing about-faces and all wounds healing.
Content warnings:vivid portrayals of parental abuse; frequent portrayals of sexual harassment of minors (catcalls, groping, etc.); religious trauma with Catholicism as the religion depicted; heavy depictions of misogyny, particularly related to sex, bodies and menstruation. All of these are interrogated & narratively condemned.
The only reason this isn't 5 stars is the ending is
Content warnings:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Outing
ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Domestic abuse
Christianity details - confirmation, confessions, homophobia, mass, etc.saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ca·thar·sis
/kəˈTHärsəs/
noun:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Catharsis is what I felt reading this.
This gripped me, I picked it up on a whim from the library looking for something short and couldn't put it down, enraptured by the beautiful writing and compelling characters. I finished the book at one in the morning, laid down in my bed, and cried for ten minutes or so.
The Poet X is written gorgeously and empathetically. I took a lot of pictures of pages because of how much I loved each poem and how some of them resonated so deeply with me. It never gets so loss in its metaphor and prose to forget the plot, balancing the two and enhancing both. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is fighting for agency in a household where she has none, mainly through her art. It's amazingly complex with each character having multiple layers, even the less savory ones. All while dealing with heavy topics such as religion, abuse, and misogyny with empathy and making the story both empowering and realistic.
And the book is overflowing with a love for writing. It being the main way that our protagonist, Xiomara, finds her agency. This love is weaved into the poetry itself of the book, illuminating the power of prose.
TWs: parental abuse justified with Catholicism and including physical violence, groping and sexual harassment, misogyny, homophobia, blasphemy.
/kəˈTHärsəs/
noun:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Catharsis is what I felt reading this.
This gripped me, I picked it up on a whim from the library looking for something short and couldn't put it down, enraptured by the beautiful writing and compelling characters. I finished the book at one in the morning, laid down in my bed, and cried for ten minutes or so.
The Poet X is written gorgeously and empathetically. I took a lot of pictures of pages because of how much I loved each poem and how some of them resonated so deeply with me. It never gets so loss in its metaphor and prose to forget the plot, balancing the two and enhancing both. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is fighting for agency in a household where she has none, mainly through her art. It's amazingly complex with each character having multiple layers, even the less savory ones. All while dealing with heavy topics such as religion, abuse, and misogyny with empathy and making the story both empowering and realistic.
And the book is overflowing with a love for writing. It being the main way that our protagonist, Xiomara, finds her agency. This love is weaved into the poetry itself of the book, illuminating the power of prose.
TWs: parental abuse justified with Catholicism and including physical violence, groping and sexual harassment, misogyny, homophobia, blasphemy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
shaipanda's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy shit this book is absolutely beyond beautiful
I listened to it and read it at the same time which made the experience so much more amazing and I’m so glad I did it that way
I feel like I’ll be thinking about this book for the foreseeable future cause holy shit
And it’s so so clear that the narrator for the audiobook is ver familiar with the culture and the story and everything so it makes a lot of sense that it seems to be Elizabeth Acavedo narrating it which adds so much - just amazing overall
I listened to it and read it at the same time which made the experience so much more amazing and I’m so glad I did it that way
I feel like I’ll be thinking about this book for the foreseeable future cause holy shit
And it’s so so clear that the narrator for the audiobook is ver familiar with the culture and the story and everything so it makes a lot of sense that it seems to be Elizabeth Acavedo narrating it which adds so much - just amazing overall
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Body shaming
coffeeatthebeachwoodcafe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment