Reviews

Fiere by Jackie Kay

rachiebeeee's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely stunning. Can't wait to read her other collections.

jjustdylaan's review against another edition

5.0

so tender and soft

ryandougans's review against another edition

4.0

Another really solid poetry collection.

sophieskilling's review

2.5

i wanted to like this sm more than i did but it just fell a bit flat ! i didn’t dislike it but didn’t actively look forward to reading it either. i love jackie kay’s prose but maybe her poetry isn’t for me. my favourite poems though: ‘Kamso, Kedu’, ‘Missing You’, and ‘The No-Longer Dead’

annrhub's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? N/A

4.75

sp00ky_n3rd's review

emotional reflective 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

2.5

I liked the first poem in the book but wasn't much a fan of the rest. It was lovely and refreshing that some of them were written in Scots. Admittedly though, I had to read this for uni and I'm not someone who is known for appreciating poetry!

lovegriefandgender's review

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

amberinbookland's review

3.75

My favourite poems from this collection:
-Between the Dee and the Don
-Fiere in the Middle
-Dark African Wood
-Road to Amaudo
-Bronze Head from Ife

lyss_cypher's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

singlecrow's review

I really wanted to like this more than I did. Kay is a half-white, half-Nigerian poet and a prominent lesbian poet as well as the Scots Makar, and I was delighted to hear that part of this collection is in Scots; I was very keen to see that background of identity synthesised in the language. And there is good stuff here - I liked "Fiere", the title poem, "Black River", which resonates for me with Langston Hughes' The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and "Ukpor Market" is brutal - but somehow it never quite came together for me.