Review Detail

FLOWER CROWNS & FEARSOME THINGS is the latest poetry book by amanda lovelace. This one is inspired by the Greek goddess, Persephone, who is known for being the Goddess of Spring and the Queen of the Underworld. As such, the author explores the speaker’s capacity to also be both soft and fierce. Next to each poem is an image of flowers, either a pastel sunset on a garden or burning roses to represent the two seemingly contrasting natures. The story proceeds, dancing between this binary, with the speaker getting into an abusive relationship and then later, finding her strength to leave.

I love the theme of these poems so much. Quite often, we put expectations on people to be one or the other— soft or fierce. Men and boys typically aren’t allowed to show their tender sides, and women, on the other hand, are often criticized if they’re too intense. The reality is that we all have both in us, and this book, by exemplifying that, is giving people permission to accept that in themselves. Typical for the author, there are some darker themes as well, but there’s always an undercurrent of self-empowerment and discovery that is encouraging and hopeful.

That being said, the structure starts to fall apart as the book goes on and the poems in each section become more and more interchangeable. My guess is that this is intentional and there’s a message in there, but what I found most interesting was the obvious contrast in the speaker in the earlier section, instead of, later on, when the relationship is introduced and it becomes more fluid. I also found a lot of the pieces to be fairly literal, which, for this genre of poetry, I prefer lyrical phrases that get stuck in my head like a song. Pieces that I want to read again and again because it puts voice to something intangible. That doesn’t mean this book doesn’t do that at all. I just wanted it to do it more.

Overall, FLOWER CROWNS & FEARSOME THINGS will appeal to lovelace’s fanbase as it sits comfortably in what we’ve grown to expect from lovelace’s work: beautiful art, a creative and fresh structure that enhances the story, and words that are honest, brutal, and redemptive.