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emelynreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Dreamy prose with love for the natural world sprinkled throughout. I particularly liked: Dead Stars, New National Anthem, Instructions On Not Giving Up, and The Last Drop.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Pregnancy, and Infertility
itsradsmads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Death and Dementia
peggy_racham's review against another edition
4.5
"I can’t help it. I will never get over making everything such a big deal."
For the first time in my life, I think I understand my mother. Ada Limón first got me with Bright dead things and this is yet another amazing book.
For the first time in my life, I think I understand my mother. Ada Limón first got me with Bright dead things and this is yet another amazing book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Animal death, Death, Pregnancy, and Grief
jazhandz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Infertility
Moderate: Death
savvylit's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
"Even now, I don't know much about happiness. I still worry and want an endless stream of more, but some days I can see the point in growing something, even if it's just to say I cared enough."
This is the second Ada Limón collection that I have read and loved. Thus, Limón has officially cemented herself as one of my favorite poets of all time. Her words effortlessly blend the deeply personal with the universal. For instance, in confessing her difficulty becoming pregnant, Limón does more than merely lament. She begins to see and experience motherhood in a multitude of everyday acts of care. Even amidst heartbreak, Limón's keen observational eye gifts readers with an earth-based hope that is then woven throughout The Carrying.
As I read this collection, I took photos of poems that I loved and sent them via text - mostly to my partner. That's not something I find myself doing very often. However, there's just something about Ada Limón's poetry that begs to be shared.
This is the second Ada Limón collection that I have read and loved. Thus, Limón has officially cemented herself as one of my favorite poets of all time. Her words effortlessly blend the deeply personal with the universal. For instance, in confessing her difficulty becoming pregnant, Limón does more than merely lament. She begins to see and experience motherhood in a multitude of everyday acts of care. Even amidst heartbreak, Limón's keen observational eye gifts readers with an earth-based hope that is then woven throughout The Carrying.
As I read this collection, I took photos of poems that I loved and sent them via text - mostly to my partner. That's not something I find myself doing very often. However, there's just something about Ada Limón's poetry that begs to be shared.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Grief, and Miscarriage
samarakroeger's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
exquisite (and accessible) poetry on grief, love, infertility, pain, and time.
highly recommend
highly recommend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Grief, Infertility, Chronic illness, and Miscarriage
zannayo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Only some of the poems really resonated with me, however they were all written well and enjoyable to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, Grief, and Infertility
afternoonlight's review against another edition
3.5
Faves:
Wife
The Real Reason
Wonder Woman
Wife
The Real Reason
Wonder Woman
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Grief
Minor: Death
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This is the first book of poetry I've picked up since those Shel Silverstein books in elementary school. There's no particular reason why I chose this one from the shelf at my library, other than the colors on the spine caught my eye. I went into this with no expectations, nor did I know if there was going to be a theme.
This felt like reading a short story. Each poem felt like it contributed to an overall narrative of the author's life. You could see how the individual changed their way of thinking, and the conclusions they came to.
Because of this, the poems themselves varied quite a bit in content, the type of language used, and how lyrical they sounded. For example, we start with this poem, which is also my favorite:
This felt like reading a short story. Each poem felt like it contributed to an overall narrative of the author's life. You could see how the individual changed their way of thinking, and the conclusions they came to.
Because of this, the poems themselves varied quite a bit in content, the type of language used, and how lyrical they sounded. For example, we start with this poem, which is also my favorite:
When Eve walked among
the animals and named them-
nightingale, red-shouldered hawk,
fiddler crab, fallow deer-
I wonder if she ever wanted
them to speak back, looked into
their wide wonderful eyes and
whispered, Name me, name me.
About halfway through the book we then end up with this gem that gives some of the craziest imagery I've ever come across. (This is just the first part of the poem as it's a longer one)
The night after, I dream I chop
all the penises off, the ones that
keep coming through the walls.
These are the highlights of the book for me, so since they are few and far inbetween I found overall this just felt like an average read for me. The styles of the poems were quite varied, and there were definitely ones I liked better than others. I also caught myself a few times just reading the words and not absorbing them. It's why I went through this book slowly, as I wanted to absorb the meaning, and not get overwhelemed.
I feel like poetry is such a personal medium, and the meaning can change based on who's reading it. It's difficult to put a rating on that, and I'm intrigued to see how I feel as I read more poetry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Infertility
Minor: Dementia and Abortion
peytonktracy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
This, I believe, is my first book of poetry in nearly a decade, and it was a hell of a return to this genre. Limón’s poems are raw, vulnerable, and exquisite, capturing the beauty and the ugly in the every day and the full depth of emotion that can be within each moment. Many are heartbreaking, all in different ways for a myriad of reasons, but each one felt like a privilege to read. Just wow. I’ll be digesting this one for awhile.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Dementia, Infertility, and Death