Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
These poems are not dense or hard to understand. They are very easy to read before bed, like Billy Collins (she even refers to him in one poem)
All the poems are 3 stanzas of 10 lines with 10 syllables per line (I don't know the special term for this structure). Sometimese there are rhymes or clever turns of phrase within lines ("saucy salsa songs"), but it's not often. Alavarez is more concerned with the structre.
There are some poems about trees (meh), growing up as an immigrant in NYC (interesting! With some Spanish words sometimes!), a few poems about being an adult woman (meh), and her love of words and poetry (her love is honestly contagious).
My favorite poems in this collection are:
- MY BOTTOM LINE
- TONE
- "POETRY MAKES NOTHING HAPPEN"?
Hold on tight! could be the first commandment / for this life, and the second, Let it go! / Only the empty hand is free to hold.
All the poems are 3 stanzas of 10 lines with 10 syllables per line (I don't know the special term for this structure). Sometimese there are rhymes or clever turns of phrase within lines ("saucy salsa songs"), but it's not often. Alavarez is more concerned with the structre.
There are some poems about trees (meh), growing up as an immigrant in NYC (interesting! With some Spanish words sometimes!), a few poems about being an adult woman (meh), and her love of words and poetry (her love is honestly contagious).
My favorite poems in this collection are:
- MY BOTTOM LINE
- TONE
- "POETRY MAKES NOTHING HAPPEN"?
Hold on tight! could be the first commandment / for this life, and the second, Let it go! / Only the empty hand is free to hold.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is the second book I’ve read by Julia Alvarez and I’ve come to love her voice even more than before. Her prose is youthful, like a pair of bright and sparkling eyes. Yet she still manages to be grounded and open about her somberness. In this memoir of hers composed of poems, she talks about her insecurities and struggles and the things she loves. Her pain is in her writing along with everything else. Her experiences as both a child immigrant and a woman from the Dominican Republic shape this memoir and her other works.
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
I love her pacing and tone. I was drawn more to her reflections of self and meditations on quiet moments that betray life’s larger questions.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
A gorgeous little collection. Alvarez's voice is mesmerizing.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Loved these relatable & engaging poems; they'd be a great entryway into poetry for those less familiar with the genre or worried about the accessibility. Though they're accessible, they aren't unsophisticated. The book feels sharp, smart, AND thoroughly readable!