the princess who saved herself
This blog post was first published on meglynchwriter.wordpress.com on March 2, 2018.
In honor of Amanda Lovelace‘s release of her next volume of poetry WITHIN THE WEEK!!!, I’ve decided to write a review of her first volume: the princess saves herself in this one.
First things first: I read this entire volume of poetry in one day. That is unheard of! That is a testament to Lovelace’s ability to connect with her reader. I rarely have that sort of attention span, but Lovelace’s journey from pain to freedom is captivating. It’s also inspiring – if she can make it through all that heartbreak and still find love, maybe I can, too.
What I love the most about this book is Lovelace’s openness, her ability and willingness to bring the reader alongside her through her struggle and inevitable victory. From princess, to damsel, to Queen, this is an absolutely beautiful tale.
This book made me cry: sad tears and happy tears, both of them healing tears… Her grief is tangible, and her discovery of love is subtle, yet it changes the atmosphere of the book slowly and surely. Lovelace’s story of healing makes way for healing in her readers, and I think we all need that. If she can find the power to overcome all that and still look for love in the smallest places… If she can build an empire of love inside her self that had been so full of heartbreak, WHY CAN’T I? This queen assures me I can.
This volume of poetry is filled with a lot of emotions, ranging from deep, gut-wrenching grief to the most wonderful, whimsical, yet heartfelt love imaginable. Rediscovering love and wonder after the amount of loss portrayed in this book is a long and hard journey, and I am grateful to have a window to the one Amanda Lovelace survived through, and to see she is now thriving. I am grateful to know I can make it there one day, myself.
One thing I should say, that has been pointed out to me more than once, is that if you are a stickler for grammar, this might honestly not be your cup of tea – and that’s okay. There isn’t much capitalization in this book, and this sort of free verse can tend to be a bit confusing at times. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy it. I like it when sentences are broken up between lines in poetry; that way, you know what parts of the sentence get emphasis and which are less important. It enhances the reading of the poetry, knowing more precisely what the poet wants to say.
That being said, I left this book feeling 110%, like a queen myself, and that’s the way it should be with books, poetry most of all.
Thank you, Amanda Lovelace, for this drop-dead gorgeous volume of poetry.
+ 95,000 smile points