Reviews

It Shouldn't Have Been Beautiful by Lia Purpura

sdemler14's review against another edition

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4.0

Wow. She has got a way with words. The tabs, the notes, the highlights! I’ll have to come back to these again and again.

savvy999's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.0

harley_n66's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

4.75

venusv's review against another edition

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4.0

But it is, in fact, beautiful. Nature based with a side of, “is this life truly everything?” Thought provoking and best read on a sunny back porch.

rmedynsk's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

3.0

cstefko's review against another edition

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5.0

This collection was exactly what I needed today. Sitting outside in the new spring weather, with its impression of rebirth, Purpura's poems read like a reflection of my surroundings. Her poems are "spare," as they say, pared down to the essentials. Many of them reflect on nature and beauty, and the gratitude we feel for witnessing it, but also the necessity of mindfulness. There's a vein of spirituality running through this collection that felt honest and unassuming; she doesn't impose a certain viewpoint on the reader, but rather invites us to speculate with her, whilst grounding that exploration in the concrete imagery of the mundane. She handles the topic of mental health similarly, by using metaphor to gently lead us to self-reflection ("Red Bird in Snow"). There is a sense of disbelieving but appreciative wonder throughout the collection. It's as if Purpura is on the cusp of exploring the absurdity of existence, but draws back and chooses to dwell in the tangible instead ("Early Spring"). This was such a grounding collection for me. It speaks with the voice of a dreamer, but one who holds tight to the little things in life. It urges us to be present, and above all, grateful.

jessiphia's review against another edition

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5.0

"There weren't so many ways to counter the distance everywhere. It was just fine being human and lonely."

A book I picked up and fell in love with on a snowy afternoon.

sdemler14's review

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4.0

Wow. She has got a way with words. The tabs, the notes, the highlights! I’ll have to come back to these again and again.

bibliobrujx's review against another edition

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4.0

I stumbled upon this while shelving in Poetry at work. The name struck me and the poem it comes from is incredible. Her language is fresh, clear and pervasive. What a treasure!

delireads's review against another edition

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3.0

Original Rating: 3*
Reread Jan. 2020: 2.5*