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luveline's review
I've been finding it hard
to move through
when you're scared
you're not very generous
to move through
when you're scared
you're not very generous
littlerah's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
memory is the last defence we have
against cold fingers (8).
We love another Ellen Van Neerven. I think this is my third of theirs, and this one definitely resonated with me more than I think Throat, did. That said, both collections do different things and are powerful within their own right.
Within Comfort Food, Van Neerven fixates and follows patterns of food and their connections to culture and to their experiences as a First Nations person. Van Neerven connects with their readers encouraging them to spot the links between food and identity as well. I think this is where I felt the most - drawing on meals that would bring my family together, like at Christmas.
we are heat maps
out footprints never fade (69).
I look forward to reading more Van Neerven in the future and hope to read more fiction and short fiction from them as well. All the best.
My Favourites Included:
Love and Tradition (5)
Bread (15)
Berries (28)
Cousins (41)
Sweet Note (47)
Meteorite (51)
How My Heart Behaves (59)
Dalgay/Yugambeh Death Poem (76)
Coconut Oil (77)
against cold fingers (8).
We love another Ellen Van Neerven. I think this is my third of theirs, and this one definitely resonated with me more than I think Throat, did. That said, both collections do different things and are powerful within their own right.
Within Comfort Food, Van Neerven fixates and follows patterns of food and their connections to culture and to their experiences as a First Nations person. Van Neerven connects with their readers encouraging them to spot the links between food and identity as well. I think this is where I felt the most - drawing on meals that would bring my family together, like at Christmas.
we are heat maps
out footprints never fade (69).
I look forward to reading more Van Neerven in the future and hope to read more fiction and short fiction from them as well. All the best.
My Favourites Included:
Love and Tradition (5)
Bread (15)
Berries (28)
Cousins (41)
Sweet Note (47)
Meteorite (51)
How My Heart Behaves (59)
Dalgay/Yugambeh Death Poem (76)
Coconut Oil (77)
justyna_d's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
An interesting exploration of culture, comfort, family and love. Van Neervan is a poet full of conviction, and paints beautiful, touching scenes of life.
earlgreybooks's review
4.0
Van Neerven has been on my watchlist since I read [b:Heat and Light|22654549|Heat and Light|Ellen Van Neerven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404461119l/22654549._SX50_.jpg|42153695], but somehow I'd managed to completely miss this collection until now. These poems are thoughtful and beautifully composed, with some of my favourites being Whole Lot ('there are different kinds of time') and Meteorite ('sometimes you stare at the sky and wiish to be what you were').
I've got to add that the food title of some of the different poems made me extremely hungry...
I've got to add that the food title of some of the different poems made me extremely hungry...
georgiereads2021's review
5.0
uni read
I LOVED THIS COLLECTION
My favourite was ‘Bricks and Lightning’ (pg.40)
Really well written
Each poem in one way or another can connect to each other - which creates a great depiction of identity and the quest for who you are.
It can be assumed that the writing is from a personal experience which evokes emotion through to the reader/ audience.
- which highlights a contemporary Indigenous perspective
I LOVED THIS COLLECTION
My favourite was ‘Bricks and Lightning’ (pg.40)
Really well written
Each poem in one way or another can connect to each other - which creates a great depiction of identity and the quest for who you are.
It can be assumed that the writing is from a personal experience which evokes emotion through to the reader/ audience.
- which highlights a contemporary Indigenous perspective
emkoshka's review
2.0
I started the year with a 1076-page tome about the building of a Gothic cathedral in medieval England (The Pillars of the Earth) and have finished it with a 96-page poetry collection by a Dutch-Aboriginal young woman. Quite the shift! Unfortunately, this was one of the rare books I didn't enjoy. Poetry is already a challenging form and requires some effort from the author to lead the reader along with them. The last poetry collection I read, The Hijab Files was easy to immerse myself in despite the unfamiliarity of the culture presented. In this case, I felt quite dislocated and isolated from the author's words, like she was writing for herself only, describing events and anecdotes that only she could appreciate. The only poem I did genuinely connect with was 'Iris Brides'. So I didn't like Van Neerven's poetry, but I'm still holding out hope for her novel Heat and Light.
stephaniellejem's review
5.0
This is a very pleasant read. The poems can be taken as they were written or analyzed to involve the context of Neerven’s experience AND that’s when it gets to a strong and powerful voice. It’s a beauty.
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