Today is an exciting day. Why do you ask? Because today marks the first in many book reviews I plan to do on The Writing Addict. I’ve reviewed podcasts and audiobooks, so it only makes sense to add physical books to the list. To begin the series, I’ve decided to review the princess saves herself in this one by amanda lovelace.
I received ‘the princess saves herself in this one’ for Christmas from one of my best friends, so it only makes sense to start here. This book is a little out of my comfort zone because I don’t read full poetry books often, but I enjoyed it anyway. That being said, I’m not a poet and I don’t study the poetry craft. Take everything I say with a grain of salt because it is only my personal opinion. I don’t pretend to have the knowledge required to critique this book based on craft alone. So make sure to ask your poet friend their opinions if you want more of a “literary” discussion.
About the Book
‘The Princess Saves Herself in This One’ is the debut poetry collection from Amanda Lovelace. The collection is split into 4 parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The poems in the first three parts center around the speakers journey of self love and coming to terms with relationships and death. By the end (spoiler alert!) the “princess” saves herself by finding self love and a functional romantic relationship. The author also ends with a section titled “you” which includes poems written to the reader to encourage self love and confidence.What I Like
My favorite part about Lovelace’s work is the fact that it makes me feel something. I normally struggle with connecting to poetry on an emotional level, but these poems made my eyes water and made me hold my breath at times. I think what makes these poems so strong is their rawness and variety of subject matter. Lovelace manages to cover self love, abuse, death, grief, and heartbreak among other topics in 195 pages. The variety of subject matter allows there to be a poem for every reader to connect with.
The visual representation of the poems are simple which allows for quick read, but it also allows readers to focus on every word individually. A lot of the poems have words scattered across the page, creating visual interest. It’s refreshing to read poems that have fun with form and allow more in depth looks at word choice rather than the whole.
The visual representation of the poems are simple which allows for quick read, but it also allows readers to focus on every word individually. A lot of the poems have words scattered across the page, creating visual interest. It’s refreshing to read poems that have fun with form and allow more in depth looks at word choice rather than the whole.
My last favorite thing is the rawness to the poems. Lovelace writes with clear and simple language that allows the subject and her words to shine on their own without a lot of fluff. Personally, I prefer more stripped down poetry, so this is right up my alley. (This may also explain how I was able to finish the whole book of poetry which I haven’t done since reading Adrienne Rich in college).
I’m going to take another moment here to say I’m not a poet or a proper poetry critic, so please take this with a grain of salt. However, I’m not a big fan of the italic note at the end of every poem. This is a firm style choice by Lovelace, but sometimes I don’t find them necessary. I caught myself skipping over them while reading. Most of the poems stand fine on their own without the italic note, so they bothered me more than intrigued me.
I like this poem because I’ve dealt with haunting deaths in my life too. While this isn’t the best example of Lovelace’s experimenting with form, I like it all the same.
What I Dislike
I’m going to take another moment here to say I’m not a poet or a proper poetry critic, so please take this with a grain of salt. However, I’m not a big fan of the italic note at the end of every poem. This is a firm style choice by Lovelace, but sometimes I don’t find them necessary. I caught myself skipping over them while reading. Most of the poems stand fine on their own without the italic note, so they bothered me more than intrigued me.
My Favorite Poem from the Book
I like this poem because I’ve dealt with haunting deaths in my life too. While this isn’t the best example of Lovelace’s experimenting with form, I like it all the same. 
Final Rating
Overall, I rate ‘the princess saves herself in this one’ a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading the collection and am so glad I made it through my first book of poetry in 2018! I’m looking forward to reading Lovelace’s sequel ‘the witch doesn’t burn in this one’ which is coming out in March 2018. If you would like to see more samples of ‘the princess saves herself in this one,’ check out Amanda Lovelace’s Instagram @ladybookmad. She posts a lot of the poems from the book on her Instagram, so it will help you get a better idea of whether or not this book is your cup of tea.
I hope you enjoyed this book review! I can’t wait to do more in the future, including one on Lovelace’s sequel.
Do you enjoy reading poetry? What books have you finished in 2018 so far?
I hope you enjoyed this book review! I can’t wait to do more in the future, including one on Lovelace’s sequel.
Do you enjoy reading poetry? What books have you finished in 2018 so far?
The itailic notes I believe are actually titles, at least thats what I gathered
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, I can see that. I didn't read it that way when I first read it, but now the italic notes make more sense. Thank you for the comment!
Delete