The Princess Saves Herself in this One

Okay, I've had enough of this.

i've
had
enough
of
this.

enough
is
enough
is
enough

I'm not going to live long enough to read everything on my TBR list. Ergo, I neither have to soldier through this one and work myself into a frothing rage over what qualifies as (Goodreads) award-winning poetry these days. In fact, I'm gonna do myself a favour and avoid anything that Goodreads members pick as “award winning”.

did
not
finish

- i got other books waiting

Reading copy courtesy of NetGalley.

2 1/2 stars. There is promise here, yes. But there is also pretentiousness. And much of it.
(One should not name-check Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and Virginia Woolf in their first boom of poetry. Be your own poet for some time first before claiming sisters in the word.)
Also, Amanda's style of naming or footnoting—I could not tell which—each poem with an italicized aside at the end was jolting for me as a reader, and made each of these feel rather like a zinger, like Amanda herself popping up to chortle “See what I did there?” A poem would resonate with me, then be abruptly bookended by this screeching halt to the flow. These extra endings made me feel as if she as the writer didn't trust me as the reader to get it, and had to give me a hint as to each poem's meaning. That violates the contract of the nebulousness of poetry; what the writer meant when she rang the bell may mean something different to every ear that hears its tone, and therein lies poetry's resounding, and compelling, beauty. There must be trust for the readers.

4.5 stars

This was really good. I don't read a lot of poetry, but I intend to keep reading Amanda Lovelace's work.

This is her story told in poems, her story of the stuff she's been through and how she learned to love herself. I didn't always agree with her conclusions, but I appreciate the questions she raised and her acknowledgement of the things we're told as women that have a long-term effect. For example:

sticks and stones
never broke
my bones,
but words
made me
starve myself
until
you could
see all of them.

Trigger warnings for abuse, rape, self harm, eating disorder, and suicide. However, as someone who is triggered by some of these, I felt more seen than triggered. I found this collection affirming and empowering.

Additional note: there is some swearing, so be aware of that if that bothers you.

I ordered it after reading all the rave reviews and didn't get the hype. It read like the stuff I thought was poetry in the third grade - basic, boring sentences just spaced out on the page. I was hoping for beautiful language, interesting concepts, or something worthwhile, but it was like a gross mashup of every sentimental teenage angsty quote on Pinterest. Resold immediately.

The author was definitely brave to share her emotional journey with readers - but it didn't resonate with me, as I was hoping for something more along the lines of Richard Siken's Crush or even something Andrea Gibson-y.

2,5 ★
Opinião impopular: isso não é poesia.
Estou um pouco inconformada que esse livro foi escolhido como Goodreads Choice Awards.
Mas vamos ao porque da minha indignação.
Exemplo de um dos muitos trechos que achei consideráveis deste livro:

“flowers

grow

wherever

his

fingertips

graze

me.

- my sun & rain.”

Excerpt from: “the princess saves herself in this one” by Amanda Lovelace. Scribd.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/335846435

Muito bem, todos encantados com a ideia de um corpo de interesse te pegar de jeito? Agora leia assim:

“𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚖𝚎”

É exatamente a mesma frase. Uma frase e não um 𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸.
Entendem?
Se o livro todo fosse escrito como as frases (repito, frases) que são, escritas em texto corrido, em 50 páginas havíamos resolvido tudo isso.

Os assuntos abordados são interessantes (a dor do câncer, a superação, a familia, as perdas, amor - o perde e encontrar dele - a superação pessoal e a autoafirmação). Porém... são apenas frases escritas
Assim
Separadas
Como
Se
Isso desse um
Efeito
Dramático
No texto.

E Não. Deu no mesmo.

Oh my GOSH

I've never cried so much because of a book before.

This was a beautiful read that EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ!!! It talks about real topics that everyone can relate with at least one poem.

But the last chapter ( IV you) was the one that touched me the most.

I'm going to shut up now, but yes go and get yo self a copy because you won't regret it!

I've been seeing this book pop up everywhere, and wanted to give it a try after hearing so many good things about it. This book was a very quick read and I was honestly surprised at how raw and personal this book was.

I sat here for a long time struggling to find the right words to explain why this book is worth 4 stars. Its worth the 4 stars, because of how much I saw myself through her words. It's an indescribable feeling when you read a book written by someone else, but their words and feelings are pretty close to your own.

I can see why some people might not enjoy this book. A few didn't like how this book was formatted, however, I didn't mind it at all. Sometimes it changed to correlate with what she was talking about. And to me, that just made it more powerful. At times it did feel like I was reading from a angsty teen's tumblr, but again, that didn't bother me. However, if that doesn't appeal to you, then you may not enjoy it as much as I did.

The reason I didn't give it a 5 stars is because of how messy it was. Amanda Lovelace jumped around a lot from topic to topic. One page she will be talking about her mother, then the next about her body issues, then about a boy then back to her mother. The changes were very abrup and that kind of ruined it a bit for me. Maybe it was intentional, I'm not a poetry reader so maybe I missed the point.

I loved the You section, that was my favorite part of the whole book. I loved seeing her emotions transform from an insecure girl to a more empowered woman.

This book may not be everyone's cup of tea but I do recommend to read it at least once.