Not the best story I've ever read and some of the scenes were a little too explicit for my taste (most of the stuff I disliked was the gods being seduNot the best story I've ever read and some of the scenes were a little too explicit for my taste (most of the stuff I disliked was the gods being seductive assholes on a power trip) but- it had a protagonist with a compelling backstory and... condition, had high stakes, didn't overystay its welcome, solved the conflict well and most importantly: it's based on egyptian mythology and the gods are power hungry assholes just as I... like them? (Yes, I liked and disliked the same aspect, never denied I'm a hypocrite...)
4 stars and I plan on reading the rest of the series....more
Not a huge fan of enemies to lovers or forced proximity (or of romance novels up until recently when I realized I'm actually not as anti-romance as I Not a huge fan of enemies to lovers or forced proximity (or of romance novels up until recently when I realized I'm actually not as anti-romance as I once thought lol) but I had fun with this one! Their sarcasm and banter at the start was great. Even the misunderstandings that would usually annoy me didn't.
4 stars because it was fun and well written in a lot of parts but there were also a few cringe worthy or annoying aspects like the slightly excessive use of the word "growl" or Ethan's reaction to Olive insisting on the truth regarding the conflict (it wasn't fully in line with his earlier comments and could have been solved way better.)
Enjoyed most of the jabs against our sexist & racist history; but the part about the corsets was a little bs. They weren't torture devices that squashEnjoyed most of the jabs against our sexist & racist history; but the part about the corsets was a little bs. They weren't torture devices that squashed your organs if you didn't tight lace them. 4 stars....more
Manche der Geschichten sind recht gut. Das Hörbuch auch. Und die meisten Autor:innen lesen ihren Teil selbst. Insgesamt aber trotzdem eher eine mittelManche der Geschichten sind recht gut. Das Hörbuch auch. Und die meisten Autor:innen lesen ihren Teil selbst. Insgesamt aber trotzdem eher eine mittelmäßige Kollektion, die man aufgrund der Kürze gut mal zwischendurch hören/lesen kann. 3 Sterne.
Mesmerizing because of the language and the detached narrator (which the audiobook narrator conveyed perfectly). Pretty short but you should really taMesmerizing because of the language and the detached narrator (which the audiobook narrator conveyed perfectly). Pretty short but you should really take your time with and for it. 5 stars.
4 stars. Pretty good audiobook/dramatisation with fitting voice actors and actresses that bring the story to life. Although I don't think I'd have unde4 stars. Pretty good audiobook/dramatisation with fitting voice actors and actresses that bring the story to life. Although I don't think I'd have understood everything if I hadn't already watched the show. Which is also super close in vibe to this version of the story. Most of the cast even sounds very very similar.
Even better than the first for the simple reason that it has more non-human characters interacting with one another and I love all of them. 5 stars anEven better than the first for the simple reason that it has more non-human characters interacting with one another and I love all of them. 5 stars and onto the next!...more
Some poems hit deeper than others - like in every collection tho. Overall pretty mid but I'm more leaning towards liking it than disliking it. There wSome poems hit deeper than others - like in every collection tho. Overall pretty mid but I'm more leaning towards liking it than disliking it. There was some good stuff too. I'd be willing to read more from Sophia Thakur. 3 stars.
Also: I think I'm not entirely the target audience for this. A lot of the poems talk about being a black woman in britain. So please if you feel empowered or seen by this collection don't let me stop you!
"the sun and her flowers" is neither better nor worse than "milk and honey". It has similar topics, similar vibes and even similar wordings in a lot o"the sun and her flowers" is neither better nor worse than "milk and honey". It has similar topics, similar vibes and even similar wordings in a lot of instances. Just like in "milk and honey" almost all of the short or very short poems are shallow statements with line breaks - page fillers masquerading as poetry. Quantity over quality.
A few of those page fillers so you can see for yourself:
1)
their concept of beauty is manufactured i am not
- human
2)
the road to changing the world is never-ending
- pace yourself
3)
if you have never stood with the oppressed there is still time
- lift them
These examples aren't very deep or fleshed out and would therefore work much better in literally any other medium than written poetry, because there'd be more than just the words on the page: slam poetry / spoken word poetry (what Kaur started with and still does), as music etc... or really: as instagram captions or tweets. Hell, even as a damn podcast.
This also applies to the poems about her family and upbringing. Their stories remain super interesting but I don't see how telling them via this medium does them justice.
Generally I like her longer poems or even the prose (like in the postface) more but none of them fully. They would need to be much more fleshed out for that.
Ultimately Rupi Kaur's poetry remains underdeveloped, overhyped and most of all underwhelming.
Having said all of this I still genuinely believe Rupi Kaur has something interesting and important to say (like most of us do) and I'd read it too, just not in verse please.
2 stars for containing at least some poems of which I liked parts, some beautiful drawings and the message of her body of work as well as making people interested in poetry.
If you'd like to delve into a discussion about what makes good poetry that talks about Rupi Kaur's work and impact on the industry but goes beyond it I recommend these youtube videos. They also explore a ton of aspects I haven't touched on here.
• The One Woman Who Ruined Poetry (It's Not Gabbie Hanna) | Video Essay by Roughest Drafts (link)
• Milk & Honey Is... Not That Great. by Rachel Oates (link)
• your favorite poets are bad. by Steph JLW Reads (link)
• Is This The WORST "Poetry" Book Ever? by Rachel Oates (link)...more
Weird in an interesting and cool way. But I feel like I didn't get half of the stories. Maybe that's the point tho. 3 stars.Weird in an interesting and cool way. But I feel like I didn't get half of the stories. Maybe that's the point tho. 3 stars....more
Good prequel to Solitaire and an accurate depiction of how the holidays with family can feel to some of us. I liked the different pov chapters, especiGood prequel to Solitaire and an accurate depiction of how the holidays with family can feel to some of us. I liked the different pov chapters, especially the last one. 5 stars.
Content Warning: (view spoiler)[The collection, especially the first few chapters, contains many descriptions of gendered sexual violence as it is an Content Warning: (view spoiler)[The collection, especially the first few chapters, contains many descriptions of gendered sexual violence as it is an important theme Rupi Kaur's work deals with. (hide spoiler)]
This poetry is the kind that you would call poetic if it was intersected somewhere in a work of prose. Instead it is marketed as poetry and doesn't hold up to the promise.
I'm no expert on poetry but these poems just don't make me feel like others did so far. Just bad and... hollow?
Let me show you an example:
the woman who comes after me will be a bootleg version of who i am. she will try and write poems for you to erase the ones i've left memorized on your lips but her lines could never punch you in the stomach the way mine did. she will then try to make love to your body. but she will never lick, caress, or suck like me. she will be a sad replacement of the woman you let slip. nothing she does will excite you and this will break her. when she is tired of falling apart for a man that doesn't give back what he takes she will recognize me in your eyelids staring at her with pity and it'll hit her. how can she love a man who is busy loving someone he can never get his hands on again.
the next time you have your coffee black you'll taste the bitter state he left you in it will make you weep but you'll never stop drinking you'd rather have the darkest parts of him than have nothing
I like the dual perspective here and the change of format to indicate it, giving the new woman (the "replacement") a voice, acknowledging the darkness in humans etc - how it is executed tho? Doesn't really hit nearly as well as it could in my opinion.
It seems like these poems are very personal to Rupi Kaur. And I appreciate her sharing them. Which is why I feel a little bad for disliking this collection so much. But it just didn't work for me. I didn't enjoy the poems, always only small parts of them. And the heavy repetition of concepts and phrases didn't help with that. The audiobook (read by the author) sadly didn't make it better either. 2 stars.
Of course not all poetry has to or can feel the same for everyone. But it should make you feel... something? Other than hoping for it to get better that is. I think that the reason I did feel deeply when reading some of the poems mostly wasn't due to the author making me feel that way but simply because of the choice of topics - being a woman in our sexist world, experiencing objectification, sadness, horror, joy and love. More like she was saying buzz words and letting the reader fill in the blanks if that makes any sense. I don't know how to properly describe this so I'll instead let Rupi Kaur have the last word:
the one who arrives after you will remind me love is supposed to be soft
he will taste like the poetry i wish i could write
Check out my review of "the sun and her flowers" here!...more
Empathisch, gut erklärt und passend unterfüttert mit Wissenschaft, Philosophie und persönlichen Erfahrungen. Hat meine Erwartungen übertroffen. 5 SterEmpathisch, gut erklärt und passend unterfüttert mit Wissenschaft, Philosophie und persönlichen Erfahrungen. Hat meine Erwartungen übertroffen. 5 Sterne.
The funniest yet most grown up entry in the series yet.
I was laughing quite a bit, especially in the beginning, but as this volume was mostly about meThe funniest yet most grown up entry in the series yet.
I was laughing quite a bit, especially in the beginning, but as this volume was mostly about mental health it was dealing with heavy stuff at times. But it was also so relatable and healing!
Therapy got presented as healthy but not a one size fits all solution. It got stressed several times that it's not one's fault for struggling with bad mental health episodes and behaviours. And that it's not the job of your partner to "cure" you although we all need connection and a support network.
Alice Oseman definetely knows how to handle the topics she chooses to center!
Other stuff I liked: ♡ All the existing couples were cute and supportive as always! ♡ The relationships with the parents got expanded upon and were handled super well. ♡ Side characters accepting their queer loved ones and standing up for them in the face of homophobia ♡ Tori omg, I loved every scene she was in! ♡ The teacher romance :oo I swear I'm rooting for every couple Oseman introduces / sets up because they're always so good together and for each other! ♡ Oliver was cute, Henry was cute, Nellie is always cute... did I mention that there's lots of cuteness in this book/series? ♡ The feeling of growing up - final highschool exams, getting your driver's license, more trust from your parents - was conveyed so well through visuals and text despite not being in the focus directly.
Content Warning for (view spoiler)[eating disorders (anorexia), depression, self harm and homophobia! (hide spoiler)]
Check out my review of volume 3 of Heartstopper here!...more
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