| Title | : | Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 176 |
| Publication | : | First published October 5, 2021 |
within these pages, you will find that each of us has the ability to be both soft & fierce at the same time. there is no need to choose one or the other.
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things Reviews
-
Lackluster is too positive a verdict: Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things feels like Kelly Clarkson lyrics penned down in a rush. A bundle totally unambiguous and non-complex while trying to say something about abuse, sexism or relations
everyone loves a strong woman
until that woman
no longer tolerates their bullshit
- the age-old proverb
Earlier this month I read
Broken Halves of a Milky Sun: Poems (review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), which I did not full enjoy, but in terms of complexity, sophistication or even effort that bundle feels miles and miles ahead compared to
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by
Amanda Lovelace.
There is a poem about wearing a mask as a liberation of having to smile as a woman that is speaking of the current moment, but for the rest this bundle feels very generic.
Nearly all the poems feel too simple, too fitting for Instagram with some flower pictures behind them, unambiguous and unambitious.
The poems vary between “Be a goddess”, “Lift other women up”, “You don’t need a man”, “I am better of without you”, “I’ll pull through” and confusingly “Show your love to your significant other by folding clothes”.
Pomegranate in terms of explicitness takes some risks, but for the rest this bundle is very bland, even when trying to take on domestic violence or sexual abuse, and I just wish the author had taken her own poem to heart:
why is it that we’re always
the damsels in distress?
write more difficult women.
write more angry women.
write more unlikeable women.
write more cunning women.
write more women who revel
in their wickedness.
- show our complexity -
2.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this one, I enjoyed some things about it: like the gorgeous flower illustrations toward the beginning, and some poems really hit me. But otherwise, some of it felt pretty basic and like every other feminist poetry collection out there? There’s nothing very unique about this one. I did love this though:
“horror movies are her favorite,
but it’s not because she wants someone
to come put their arm around her
& protect her during the scary parts.
it’s because she likes being frightened
by something so much less dangerous
than walking alone to her car at night.
—a movie could never murder her.” -
I feel this collection is a bit shorter compared to the previous collections.
What I feel about the poetry content:
💯 The lines are authentic and express the signature style of the author
They are short and lyrical yet hard-hitting. That would be when you can relate to the lines word by word.
This is the first time I feel all the trigger warnings given at the beginning of the book apply.
There's hint of abuse.
Regarding the illustrations:
They are repetitive. I find them colourful and beautiful yet I still prefer the previous artwork.
Overall, a good read and something not to miss if you need some self-love and motivation.
Thank you, author and the publisher, for the advance reading copy. -
*As always, spoiler warning!*
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is my latest foray into Amanda Lovelace’s fairytale and folklore-inspired poetry. While this volume was on the shorter end, I still enjoyed it and found that many of its poems resonated with me.
“Who said you can’t/Wear a flower crown/& still remain/A fearsome thing?”
The main mythology Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things draws from is the story of Persephone (also known as Kore), the goddess of spring and of the underworld.
The symbolism here is fairly obvious in that spring can be associated with the traditional notion of femininity, that of being beautiful, yet delicate. Yet, Persephone also has a tougher side of her, in that she helps to oversee the underworld, no doubt getting a full look at death in all its forms.
There’s a bunch of dualities here, whether it’s in Persephone having her toes both in feminine and masculine realms (her husband, Hades, is the king of the underworld and the primary god of death) and in the creation of life and its death. She is part of the cycle from beginning to end.
“When they drag you through hell/Do not simply accept it/Do not just give in/Go on & reign over the very flames that were meant to be your end/Wear them as a crown”
I have really come to enjoy Lovelace’s modern take on classical mythology and folklore. I think the main message here is that—surprise, I know—women are complex people, defying the simple nature often ascribed to them by misogynistic views of traditional femininity.
Happy reading!
-Cora
Find this book and other titles within
our catalog. -
i wanted to like flower crowns & fearsome things , but unfortunately it was disappointing. some of the poems were literally tweets, some read like posts i'd see on tumblr in its peak era. i do understand that's amanda's writing style, but in this one they seemed rushed. the artwork was beautiful, but i didn't get why it had to be repeated after each poem - it got annoying after a while.
the book follows the same themes the previous poetry collections touch on. truly, it felt like a recycled version of her other books - same style, same themes, same flowery writing. it no longer feels original in the slightest after using the same patterns over and over again. one things that wasn't the same is the fact that her other collections almost tell a story - this one feels random.
the poems themselves were a bit confusing - i understand the collection is based on persephone and it's supposed to show both strenght and weakness, but it didn't really hit the mark for me. in one poem we'd have themes of womanhood and feminism and independence and on the next page we'd see a love letter towards a man - almost begging said man for love. it clashed a lot and i didn't really get what it was trying to do.
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! -
Flowers 🌷
👑 Crowns &
Fearsome Things🔥
Book Review - 4 ⭐️
Amanda Lovelace is one of my all time favorite poets, and writers in general. The amount of power and emotion behind her words is unparalleled.
This is the 5th book that I’ve read by her and I devoured it in one-sitting as per usual. I find that with Amanda’s work, once you start going, it’s simply impossible to stop.
My favorite “ The Princess Saves Herself In This One” still stands true as my absolute favorite. That one just hit harder than the rest, but they’re all well thought out, beautiful and full of raw emotion. That being said I didn’t connect with this one AS MUCH as a few others thus the 4 star rating, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t perfection.
Warning: Some pages will cause your stomach to be in your throat. But, for me it’s comforting knowing that I’m not the only one who has experienced difficult times in my life.
She will forever be a queen in my eyes. Amanda’s been through it and came out on top. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t scars; reminders.
“In this collection, I explore how, in this modern age, we, too are often equal parts soft & fierce. Remember: there is no need to choose one or the other.”
Some of my favorite quotes I’ve taken away from this one:
“Being friends with girls isn’t TOO MUCH DRAMA, but you know what is? Constantly trying to burn your sisters…at the stake out of pettiness & resentment when you could just support them instead…”
“My mother taught me to be an annual, never a perennial.”
“Take me to the library,m. Let’s find a dark corner in front of the stacks where they keep myths and legends about lovers who could never measure up to us.”
“Most days I wake up and think I would still do anything for the person that you made you made me think you were. Too bad he doesn’t exist.”
“When someone she loves is sad, she stops at nothing to make sure they feel better. Is she could, she would magic a double rainbow into the sky, just to see a smile on their face. Even though she can’t think of a single soul in her life that would do the same for her. “ -
“write more women who revel
in their wickedness.”
this just reeked of Not Like Other Girls syndrome. i think the “poems” are supposed to be deep and meaningful, but they read like the tumblr posts i reblogged when i was seventeen. so many trite phrases and clichés. none of this feels original in the slightest.
i think exploring the softness and fierceness of femininity through persephone and wildflower/wildfire imagery is potentially interesting, i just hated the execution. “we’re going to make it, you & i” and “show our complexity” were the best of the bunchbut that’s not really saying much.
i received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
rating: 1/5 stars -
An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is a new poetry collection by Amanda Lovelace. I read almost all of her works in the past and I truly appreciate her writing style and also how some of the themes she touches upon can be found in a lot of her collections. These feminist poems were quick to read, but they had a lot to say and overall I really did enjoy this reading experience. -
can i overcome the worst things that have ever happened to me?
can i heal from the harshest words that have ever been said to me?
can i keep going,
knowing how the world treats girls like me? —am i resilient enough?
“oh yes, my darling, you are certainly resilient enough. you have no idea how many people you inspire just by having the courage to face another morning.” -
who said you can't
wear a flower crown
& still remain
a fearsome thing?
- make persephone proud.
Poet
Amanda Lovelace's new collection,
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is appropriately dedicated to those who wish to raise hell most elegantly (vii).
In this collection, Lovelace explores the concept of dualism in the lived experience of women and the expression of feminity. She draws inspiration from the mythological persona of the ancient Greek goddess Persephone, revered simultaneously as Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld - "equal parts soft and fierce" (p.xi).
The poems flow in sets of two, thematically and stylistically similar but differentiated by their perspectives on the subject-matter. Interleaved with recurring illustrations depicting either a soft flower meadow (representing flower crowns) or a burning rose bush (representing fearsome things) as appropriate, one poem evokes, whimsy, vulnerability and a feminine "inner voice", the other a powerfully insightful ideological rage. The deliberate juxtaposition successfully works to amplify the impact of the poems and the underlying concept of duality.
Within the poems, Lovelace explores themes including feminine vulnerability and strength, self-empowerment, female complexity, male-female dynamics, patriarchy, body image, resilience, violence against women (including coercive control), and gender roles as depicted in myth and fairytale.
The poems are up-to-the-minute in terms of subject matter. [C]ould the bar get any lower? (p.19) and [B]elieve her, no matter what. (p.115) perfectly encapsulate the contemporary struggle for safety, justice and respect in the context of the "Me Too" movement. On a lighter note, [A]t last (p.39) reflects on the unexpected feminist upside of having to wear a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The poems resonated more for me than those contained within the poet's best-known collection,
The Princess Saves Herself in This One, which I re-read in preparation for writing this review. Several evoked such a strong response that I feel compelled to share several of the poems with particular friends or female role-models for whom they'd also resonate.
Lovelace employs her signature prose style, dispensing with capitalisation and using deceptively simple, yet evocative, language to explore each poem's theme. The poems do contain potential triggers for some, which the author enumerates as including: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, eating disorders, alcohol, fire and possibly more. She advises readers to remember to practice self-care before, during, & after reading. While several of the poems are indeed quite confronting in their raw power, I felt that the poet approached these difficult areas of women's experience with sensitivity and with great insight.
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is a stimulating collection of contemporary prose-poetry, which will strike a personal chord with many readers and contains important messages in the context of up-to-the minute feminist politics.
My thanks to the poet,
Amanda Lovelace, publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this thought-provoking and entertaining collection. -
Actual rating 2.5/5 stars.
"she is not strong
because she wields a sword.
she’s strong
& she wields a sword.
get it right.
- she never needed a weapon to be powerful
It actually pains me to not fall in love with a Lovelace poetry collection! For me, poetry either has to be relatable or educational. I often look to find myself inside the words and maybe my disconnection stemmed from not being able to do so here. This proved as inspiring as her other anthologies but without the strong heart I felt previously beating there too. -
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I enjoyed Lovelace's first two collections immensely, but there has since been a disconnect for me with her work.
I found myself getting lost in the mechanic aspect of just reading through these and at first I thought the issue lied with me, so I set the book down to pick up at another time.
Quite a few tries later and I'm sorry to say the issue did not lie with me.
This collection felt really watered down and derivative of not only Lovelace`s previous work, but quippy and catchy Instagram type post and texts that one ecounters about 20 times a day.
I never got that feeling of being absorbed in a bigger, more overarching experience that should come with a collection of poems.
I could feel myself forgetting the last poem as I started reading the next one. -
everyone loves a strong woman until that woman no longer tolerates their bullshit.
write more difficult women, write more angry women, write more unlikeable women, write more cunning women. show our complexity. -
i mean it was pretty but incredibly generic
feels like it came right out of tiktok's "aesthetic empowerment quotes" -
Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
In her last poetry book, Lovelace explores how a woman can be both “soft and fierce” at the same time. Many of the poems leave strong impressions on their reader and certainly give them some food for thought. The poems are read as if two different women are reciting them: In the first poem you start reading the voice of the soft, mellow, full of love woman who is often silenced, humiliated, and used by men, then the second poem switches to the voice of the fierce, formidable, hell-raiser woman, who is not afraid to reject the molds that are forced on her and call the patriarchy, sexism, and double standards out. As you read on and the voices switch in every other poem, you find an opportunity to observe how differently (or sometimes similarly) these two perspectives review the same issues, situations, etc., and realize how you can find a little bit of yourself in both women. Lovelace definitely accomplishes what she wished to accomplish through her poems in this book, leaving the reader satisfied with the results. -
I just love Lovelace poetry, it’s always such a great mix of angst, self-expression, and feminism that burns the patriarchy to the ground!
-
flower crowns and fearsome things is a poetry collection that explores feminism laced by the concept of wildflowers and wildfires to resemble softness and fierceness side by side.
much like amanda lovelace's other works, the poems assembled here are short, lowercased sentences that some like to call "modern poetry," which i don't consider myself a fan of... however! i was obsessed with the
women are some kind of magic series, also by amanda lovelace, back when i read it almost 2 years ago. because besides getting a strong point across, they told a story - with characters and a plot and events moving forward - a story that not many would pick up on and its nuances.
so i expected this new standalone would not fall short from that, but unfortunately, it disappointed me beyond it. the "feminism" explored in these poems felt shallow and surface-level to me. none of them offered any depth, nothing further than what was taken word for word, nothing deeper than outdated tweets and tumblr posts, and poorly recycled if that.
sadly i just found this book frustrating to read. if i saw those early 2000's tweets on my timeline i would mute their accounts, so reading this book was not an enjoyable experience. if you're new to the concept of feminism and/or women empowerment, or maybe you happen to be a time-traveler from a decade or two ago, you might enjoy this book.
— digital arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. -
Amanda Lovelace’s new poetry book taking inspiration from Persephone, and how she is both soft and fierce.
While there were some good poems once in a while, the majority were unfortunately disappointing.
There would be poems about independence and how women didn’t do everything for men, and the next poem would be about how the author is willing to change herself for a man. A lot of the poems were conflicted in that way, and it honestly felt weird to have poems that encourage self love and feminism right next to poems about heartbreak and begging for love. If it was supposed to be ironic, then it was lost on me and honestly didn’t work, as it just felt discouraging.
I enjoyed some of the empowering poems, and I think a lot of the poems have a great message. If you enjoyed other Amanda Lovelace books, then you’ll probably also like this one, as they are similar in many ways - poems that encourage ‘girl-power’ and self-love, and poems with messages about heartbreak, abuse, toxic relationships, rape culture and sexual assault.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! -
Majority of these just feels like text messages from my friends or words I can read somewhere on the internet. Nothing new. It also feels like the author already said many of these on their previous collection. At least those illustrations at the beginning are cute though.
-
RTC nearer to publication.
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This collection is so beautiful that I'm literally crying after reading it.
-
I really enjoyed this collection a lot. You can tell how much Amanda’s poetry has improved over the years and continues to get better. She writes a lot of things that you can relate to, they make you feel things and I think any poetry that can do that is good. Also the art work in this book was absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
-
⚜ poetry review ⚜
never once has she felt as if
she’s interesting enough to be
the daring heroine of her own story,
& she’s oddly okay with that.
—she likes being nobody.
Amanda Lovelace is a new-to-me poet, but I’ve seen her works around. The covers are all cool and minimalist. I was instantly drawn in by the gorgeous cover on this one, too! The poems are short and punchy, focusing on loving yourself and putting yourself first. A good introduction to Lovelace for sure! I’ll definitely check out her other poems soon.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
☆
Blog |
Twitter ☆ -
I think I’ve read all of Amanda’s books by now and this one is probably my least favourite, she’s still amazing at what she’s doing and I’ll always pick up her books though. It feels like all the poems and the story was rushed and I didn’t felt connected to it, or followed the poetry itself. But either way, this is powerful and talks about dark things, about how you’re good when you shut up and do what others want but when you change you simply become the bad one in the story.
“when they drag you through hell,
do not simply accept it.
do not just give in.
go on & reign over the very flames
that were meant to be your end.
wear them as a crown.”
—show them who’s queen.”
-
I keep reading Lovelace’s books in hopes I’ll end up liking one of them, but this was another disappointment to me.
I didn’t connect with any of the poems, they were repetitive and felt like the author was trying too hard to write something „deep“.
My e-copy also had more illustrations (always the same two images) and empty pages than actual poetry, so there’s that…
[I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.] -
I listened to the audiobook the author narrates poetry that was a collection about the side of femininity of Queen of the underworld, Persephone: Forgiving and forgetting, Believe and loving herself, Respect to women, and being vulnerable.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. -
Insta-poetry is literally ruining the industry! Not one unique idea was presented in this collection.
-
3.5 stars
This poetry collection seeks to explore the dichotomies and dualities of femininity and womanhood, inspired by Persephone, who was simultaneously goddess of spring and the underworld. Each theme covered in this collection is presented as a duet of poems told from different perspectives, exploring both brazenly fierce and softly vulnerable versions of womanhood.
Though my favorite of her collections thus far, Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things didn't fully satisfy me. Many of the poems felt very surface-level, and could have been much more exquisite if they were taken just a bit farther. Many of the poems felt too similar to her other works as well, leaving this collection feeling a bit repetitive, despite the interesting premise and setup.
While the illustrations included between each poem were beautiful and visually displayed the concept of the collection—that women can be both sweet and fiery, soft and sharp—I wish the illustrations had subtly evolved throughout the work rather than staying the same throughout. Not only would this have made the illustrations less repetitive, but it also would have helped display continual growth and complexity that could have been supported by the development of the poetic themes.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. -
5 done with reality STARS
"when i wear a mask,
not only am i protecting
the lives of myself & others,
but
nobody tells me to smile,
to look less intimidating
or prettier for them.
better yet,
nobody can see me mouthing
go to hell
with my perfect lipstick mouth.”
Resena Pendiente... -
Her books will always be my safe place, my comfort book!
Yes, I would have liked more poems but I loved the art in the book too much to complain about that.
As usual, Amanda packs a lot into few words and makes you feel deep feelings.
I really recommend this book, or any written by her. It doesn't even matter which one you start with because once you discover her, you'll surely end up with all her books, just like I did.
