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alyssapusateri's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Child death, Grief, Death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy and Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Self harm
asami_kukomi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Very beautiful collection of poems.
I really loved and resonated with the chapter 'Rooting'. I also immigrated with my parents to a new country when I was five. This chapter really made me stop and take time to reflect, and be grateful for all the things my parents have done and gone through, and for all the opportunities that I have because of their decision to immigrate to a new foreign country.
I especially loved the poem Broken English.
i think about the way my father
pulled the family out of poverty
without knowing what a vowel was
and my mother raised four children
without being able to construct
a perfect sentence in English
a discombobulated couple that landed in the new world
with hopes that left the bitter taste of rejection in their mouths
no family
no friends
just man and wife
two university degrees that meant nothing
one mother tongue that was broken now
one swollen belly with a baby inside
and a father worried about jobs and rent
cause no matter what this baby was coming
and they thought to themselves for a split second
was it worth it to put all of our money
into the dream of a country that's swallowing us whole?
papa looks at his woman's eyes
and sees loneliness living where the iris was
wants to give her a home in a country that looks at her
with the word visitor wrapped around their tongue
on their wedding day
she left an entire village to be his wife
and now she left an entire country to be a warrior
and when the winter came they had nothing
but the heat of their own bodies to keep the coldness out
like two brackets they faced one another
to hold the dearest parts of them
their children close
they turned a suitcase full of clothes
into a life and regular paychecks
to make sure that the children of immigrants
wouldn't hate them for being the children of immigrants
they worked too hard
you can tell by their hands
their eyes were begging for sleep
but our mouths were begging to be fed
and that is the most artistic thing I have ever seen
it is poetry to these ears
that has never heard what passion sounds like
and my mouth is full of likes and uhms
i look at their masterpiece
cause there are no words in the english language
that can articulate that kind of beauty
i can't compact their existence
into 26 letters and call it a description
i tried once but the adjectives
needed to describe them don't even exist
so instead i ended up with pages and pages full of words
followed by commas and more words and more comas
only to realize that there are some things in the world
so infinite they can never use a full stop
so how dare you mock your mother
when she opens her mouth
and broken English spills out
don't be ashamed of the fact
that she spit through countries to be here
so you wouldn't have to cross a shoreline
her accent is thick like honey
hold it with your life
it's the only thing she has left from home
don't you stomp on that richness
instead hang it up on the walls
of museums next to Dali and Van Gogh
her life is brilliant and tragic
kiss the side of her tender cheek
she already knows what it sounds like
to have an entire nation laugh when she speaks
she's more than our punctuation and language
we might be able to paint pictures and write stories
but she made an entire world for herself
how is that for art?
I really loved and resonated with the chapter 'Rooting'. I also immigrated with my parents to a new country when I was five. This chapter really made me stop and take time to reflect, and be grateful for all the things my parents have done and gone through, and for all the opportunities that I have because of their decision to immigrate to a new foreign country.
I especially loved the poem Broken English.
pulled the family out of poverty
without knowing what a vowel was
and my mother raised four children
without being able to construct
a perfect sentence in English
a discombobulated couple that landed in the new world
with hopes that left the bitter taste of rejection in their mouths
no family
no friends
just man and wife
two university degrees that meant nothing
one mother tongue that was broken now
one swollen belly with a baby inside
and a father worried about jobs and rent
cause no matter what this baby was coming
and they thought to themselves for a split second
was it worth it to put all of our money
into the dream of a country that's swallowing us whole?
papa looks at his woman's eyes
and sees loneliness living where the iris was
wants to give her a home in a country that looks at her
with the word visitor wrapped around their tongue
on their wedding day
she left an entire village to be his wife
and now she left an entire country to be a warrior
and when the winter came they had nothing
but the heat of their own bodies to keep the coldness out
like two brackets they faced one another
to hold the dearest parts of them
their children close
they turned a suitcase full of clothes
into a life and regular paychecks
to make sure that the children of immigrants
wouldn't hate them for being the children of immigrants
they worked too hard
you can tell by their hands
their eyes were begging for sleep
but our mouths were begging to be fed
and that is the most artistic thing I have ever seen
it is poetry to these ears
that has never heard what passion sounds like
and my mouth is full of likes and uhms
i look at their masterpiece
cause there are no words in the english language
that can articulate that kind of beauty
i can't compact their existence
into 26 letters and call it a description
i tried once but the adjectives
needed to describe them don't even exist
so instead i ended up with pages and pages full of words
followed by commas and more words and more comas
only to realize that there are some things in the world
so infinite they can never use a full stop
so how dare you mock your mother
when she opens her mouth
and broken English spills out
don't be ashamed of the fact
that she spit through countries to be here
so you wouldn't have to cross a shoreline
her accent is thick like honey
hold it with your life
it's the only thing she has left from home
don't you stomp on that richness
instead hang it up on the walls
of museums next to Dali and Van Gogh
her life is brilliant and tragic
kiss the side of her tender cheek
she already knows what it sounds like
to have an entire nation laugh when she speaks
she's more than our punctuation and language
we might be able to paint pictures and write stories
but she made an entire world for herself
how is that for art?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
Consent
Self worth
Self worth
Identity
Grief
War and immigration
Body
Abortion/ infanticide
History and freedom
Empowerment and love
All of these themes were present in this book. All vital. All emotive. All moving.
All of these themes were present in this book. All vital. All emotive. All moving.
Split into chapters aptly named. Wilting. Fallling. Rooting. Rising. And blooming. Like the life cycle of a flower its pages grow through life’s experiences.
Kaur just has a way with words that stimulate the brain and this was another great collection from her. Already leaving me yearning for more ready to delve into the third collection named home body.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, War, Child abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Colonisation, Grief, and Sexual assault
zoesdigitalw0rld's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Grief, Rape, and Child death
24carrotgay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
5.0
I have Rupi to thank for my love of reading and writing poetry. This book changed my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
pantrat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
1.0
If Taylor Swift is the Rae Dunn of music, Rupi Kaur is the Taylor Swift of poetry. Truly this should’ve stayed in the drafts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual content
Minor: Blood
pomegranate_muse's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I read Milk and Honey back in 2021 and I enjoyed it, I’ve been reading to Rupi’s recent work and it just got lost on the TBR, so this year I'm determined to go back to authors I've enjoyed and read some of their newer work. Rupi has a way of getting in your brain and just mixing your thoughts in a mixing bowl.
This is Rupi’s second collection of poetry and it’s a vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honouring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself. This book is divided into five chapters and has beautiful illustration. The sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming. It is a celebration of love in all its forms.
I love how these poems are a mixture of brutal truth and compassion, the illustrations are gorgeous and add so much more to these poems. These poems covered a lot of topics that are forgotten or “the same old” news in this day and age and they shouldn’t be the same old news. They should be talked about more often. This book was inspiring and took you on a journey of growth and I related to parts of this book and wanted to hug the author for the words she wrote on the pages.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read or who wants to read a beautiful and brutal book. I cannot wait to read Rupi’s next book and this time it won’t take me three years to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism
misswitch's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
Full disclosure, this book was not written for me, I read it as a librarian be informed about the books in my library.
I found the poetry to be overwrought and over dramatic. I absolutely understand why my high schoolers love it, though.
I found the poetry to be overwrought and over dramatic. I absolutely understand why my high schoolers love it, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
denireidreads's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Sexism, Rape, and Sexual assault