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A review by lattelibrarian
The Poet's House by Jean Thompson
5.0
"And say the big break came, or say it never did, say you launched yourself full speed into the enterprise of writing. Would it matter, finally, that only some small portion of the earth's people had ever heard of you or your work? No, you told yourself. Because there would still be singing. There would still be the love."
An introspective book about when nothing feels right in your adult life. You and your boss don't get along, you aren't overly enthused about your job--but you're not not enthused by your job?--, your relationships are growing a little stale, and everyone around you thinks that you can do better but this is as good as it gets?
When Carla arrives to her landscaping job for a new client, she meets Viridian, a poet who begins a catalyst of events that begin to change the way Carla views herself and her life. Carla finds passion in poetry--not that she's any good at it, but at long last, something she likes. She devours all that she can get, even if she doesn't understand it. The only problem is that poetry doesn't exactly provide a stable income. So how long can she keep up her enthusiasm for written word?
I honestly loved Carla's character so much. There were times that I thought she was just so funny, times where she disappointed me, times where her confusion echoed my own. What a solid character! She's so solid that she may as well be a real person. And the other characters, too! Aaron, Boone, Larry the Magnificent, her mother--these characters may as well have been inspired by real life people for Thompson, and that's what makes this book so compelling.
This book is going to find its way into some young twenty-something's hands and it's going to change her life. It's going to let her know that not everything is as terrible as it seems and that you're allowed to be confused. That it works out, one way or another, and not in ways you expect. That you can unintentionally start a fire and put it out and feel so embarrassed you could almost die. Okay, maybe not that last one. Maybe? Well, we'll see what the future holds...
An introspective book about when nothing feels right in your adult life. You and your boss don't get along, you aren't overly enthused about your job--but you're not not enthused by your job?--, your relationships are growing a little stale, and everyone around you thinks that you can do better but this is as good as it gets?
When Carla arrives to her landscaping job for a new client, she meets Viridian, a poet who begins a catalyst of events that begin to change the way Carla views herself and her life. Carla finds passion in poetry--not that she's any good at it, but at long last, something she likes. She devours all that she can get, even if she doesn't understand it. The only problem is that poetry doesn't exactly provide a stable income. So how long can she keep up her enthusiasm for written word?
I honestly loved Carla's character so much. There were times that I thought she was just so funny, times where she disappointed me, times where her confusion echoed my own. What a solid character! She's so solid that she may as well be a real person. And the other characters, too! Aaron, Boone, Larry the Magnificent, her mother--these characters may as well have been inspired by real life people for Thompson, and that's what makes this book so compelling.
This book is going to find its way into some young twenty-something's hands and it's going to change her life. It's going to let her know that not everything is as terrible as it seems and that you're allowed to be confused. That it works out, one way or another, and not in ways you expect. That you can unintentionally start a fire and put it out and feel so embarrassed you could almost die. Okay, maybe not that last one. Maybe? Well, we'll see what the future holds...