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emmahw's review
4.0
Bone Ovation is the first published collection of poetry from Hardacker, covering a wide range of themes and styles. Modern, honest and often thought-provoking this short collection is great for approaching poetry no matter what your history is with the form.
I came into Bone Ovation simultaneously sceptical and open-minded. (I know, I'm a very contradictory person.) I have never been a 'poetry person'; I've disliked the majority of poems I've looked at in English classes and I just never seem to understand poetry quite like I understand prose. So, for most of my life, unless it's been forced upon me by teachers or lecturers I've avoided reading poetry for leisure. Recently, however, I've felt like I need to open myself up to the possibility that I might quite like some styles of poetry, even going so far as to buy a couple of volumes from various authors. So when I came across Valley Press at the 2018 Humber Literary Festival I just couldn't say no to this book.
To be honest, the first poem really wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't understand the form, the content, or really anything about it. This, I thought, was the epitome of all the things I don't like poetry. Nevertheless, I persisted. And boy am I glad I did. Poem number two, 'The Rains' is I think my favourite out of the whole collection. Finally a poem I genuinely enjoy! It may be one of the shortest in the collection but I thought the sentiment and feeling behind the poem blossomed off the page and really resonated with me.
Yes, there were a couple of other poems in the collection which, like the first, I really wasn't a fan of. But that's coming from my perspective of a non-poetry-reader, unaccustomed and uninformed in the world of the poem. The majority of Bone Ovation was a different story, however, and I happily finished reading the book within an hour or so.
For a complete poetry novice I think Hardaker's collection was a great first-step into poetry. The collection is short, making it an easy and quick read, something I love when I'm feeling stuck under all my university reading. I would definitely recommend to all readers, poetry-lovers or not, to get a copy of Bone Ovation.
I came into Bone Ovation simultaneously sceptical and open-minded. (I know, I'm a very contradictory person.) I have never been a 'poetry person'; I've disliked the majority of poems I've looked at in English classes and I just never seem to understand poetry quite like I understand prose. So, for most of my life, unless it's been forced upon me by teachers or lecturers I've avoided reading poetry for leisure. Recently, however, I've felt like I need to open myself up to the possibility that I might quite like some styles of poetry, even going so far as to buy a couple of volumes from various authors. So when I came across Valley Press at the 2018 Humber Literary Festival I just couldn't say no to this book.
To be honest, the first poem really wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't understand the form, the content, or really anything about it. This, I thought, was the epitome of all the things I don't like poetry. Nevertheless, I persisted. And boy am I glad I did. Poem number two, 'The Rains' is I think my favourite out of the whole collection. Finally a poem I genuinely enjoy! It may be one of the shortest in the collection but I thought the sentiment and feeling behind the poem blossomed off the page and really resonated with me.
Yes, there were a couple of other poems in the collection which, like the first, I really wasn't a fan of. But that's coming from my perspective of a non-poetry-reader, unaccustomed and uninformed in the world of the poem. The majority of Bone Ovation was a different story, however, and I happily finished reading the book within an hour or so.
For a complete poetry novice I think Hardaker's collection was a great first-step into poetry. The collection is short, making it an easy and quick read, something I love when I'm feeling stuck under all my university reading. I would definitely recommend to all readers, poetry-lovers or not, to get a copy of Bone Ovation.
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