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A review by elizabethlk
North End Love Songs by Katherena Vermette
5.0
I've been meaning to read Katherena Vermette's work for a little bit now, as I hear such positive things, and after reading volume one of A Girl Called Echo and realising it was fantastic (it's fantastic btw, and I absolutely recommend it), I figured I definitely needed to get on top of reading more of her work. So today I gave North End Love Songs a shot.
I've read a fair bit of poetry this year so far, and this is easily one of the best collections I have read. The first section, Poised For Flight, was incredibly beautiful. Using birds as the framework to tell women's stories just worked wonderfully. The second part, Nortendluvsong, was an interesting read, and I was captivated by the language used to describe the trees. The third part, November, is probably my favourite section. Vermette uses her poetry to tell the story of her own brother, who went missing when they were both teenagers, and was later found dead. Given the subject matter, it is quite obviously heartrending and emotional, but it is truly breathtaking, and this kind of poetry is what keeps me reading poetry, and is what keeps me writing poetry. The final section, I Am A North End Girl, is probably the most uniquely styled, but makes for an excellent read. Vermette tells a first person story through dozens of voices of women, each of them incredibly real.
I definitely recommend North End Love Songs. Vermette is an incredible writer, and an incredible poet. Anyone who likes poetry should read this. Anyone who lives in Canada should read this.
I've read a fair bit of poetry this year so far, and this is easily one of the best collections I have read. The first section, Poised For Flight, was incredibly beautiful. Using birds as the framework to tell women's stories just worked wonderfully. The second part, Nortendluvsong, was an interesting read, and I was captivated by the language used to describe the trees. The third part, November, is probably my favourite section. Vermette uses her poetry to tell the story of her own brother, who went missing when they were both teenagers, and was later found dead. Given the subject matter, it is quite obviously heartrending and emotional, but it is truly breathtaking, and this kind of poetry is what keeps me reading poetry, and is what keeps me writing poetry. The final section, I Am A North End Girl, is probably the most uniquely styled, but makes for an excellent read. Vermette tells a first person story through dozens of voices of women, each of them incredibly real.
I definitely recommend North End Love Songs. Vermette is an incredible writer, and an incredible poet. Anyone who likes poetry should read this. Anyone who lives in Canada should read this.