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A review by exorcismemily
Lizzie, Speak by Kailey Tedesco
4.0
"these girls / talk of death like they know it / like they've always been full of it.
3.5⭐
Lizzie, Speak was my introduction to Kailey Tedesco's work. As soon as I heard about this book of Lizzie Borden poetry, I had to have a copy. That amazing cover also grabbed my attention!
This book was not exactly what I expected. I've read a couple other horror / true crime poetry collections, and this one Ness quite different. Lizzie has more of a muse position in this book instead of the poems actually being about her. I think the poems are mainly from the writer's perspective of being connected to the spirit of Lizzie, but I'm still not entirely sure.
I was confused about what exactly was going on. Some poems are in the past, and some are in modern times. It kept jumping around (I think). I feel like I was confused for most of this book, but I still liked it. Kailey's writing is gorgeous and descriptive, and I especially loved the horror-based poems. The imagery is descriptive and haunting, and I loved being in the dark little world of this collection.
There are close to 40 poems in this book, so there was quite a bit to dig into. Not all of them worked for me, but I enjoyed most of them. My top 5 poems were I Am a Castle / I Am a Bride, I Am Lost / I Am Cursed, Lizzie is Trapped in a Woman in Peril Picture, I Remain Unforgiven on This Side of the Veil, and Make Me Spindly. I had a lot of fun with these ones.
I wish that I would have connected with the book a little more as a whole, but it was still entertaining. I'm glad I decided to check it out, and I would read more from this poet.
3.5⭐
Lizzie, Speak was my introduction to Kailey Tedesco's work. As soon as I heard about this book of Lizzie Borden poetry, I had to have a copy. That amazing cover also grabbed my attention!
This book was not exactly what I expected. I've read a couple other horror / true crime poetry collections, and this one Ness quite different. Lizzie has more of a muse position in this book instead of the poems actually being about her. I think the poems are mainly from the writer's perspective of being connected to the spirit of Lizzie, but I'm still not entirely sure.
I was confused about what exactly was going on. Some poems are in the past, and some are in modern times. It kept jumping around (I think). I feel like I was confused for most of this book, but I still liked it. Kailey's writing is gorgeous and descriptive, and I especially loved the horror-based poems. The imagery is descriptive and haunting, and I loved being in the dark little world of this collection.
There are close to 40 poems in this book, so there was quite a bit to dig into. Not all of them worked for me, but I enjoyed most of them. My top 5 poems were I Am a Castle / I Am a Bride, I Am Lost / I Am Cursed, Lizzie is Trapped in a Woman in Peril Picture, I Remain Unforgiven on This Side of the Veil, and Make Me Spindly. I had a lot of fun with these ones.
I wish that I would have connected with the book a little more as a whole, but it was still entertaining. I'm glad I decided to check it out, and I would read more from this poet.