Michael Faudet

I’ve read all of Michael Faudet’s poetry books and he continues to be one of my favorite poets.

This is his fourth book of poetry and I love seeing how he has grown and developed as a poet. His first book, Dirty Pretty Things, was strictly romantic. This book, on the other hand, was still focused on romance and love, but he would drop in a poem every now and then that focused on social issues. For example, “Respect” was all about treating women with respect and “Trigger Warning” show more was about how we value guns more than the lives of people. Those poems were a nice surprise. There was also a touch of self-awareness to that I found very clever.

Out of all of his books, this one had the strongest prose pieces. Typically, I’m a bit indifferent to his prose; they never really leave a big impression on me. However, the ones in this book really impressed me. “The Wedding Present” and “Winter of Summers” were two of my favorites. I hope he writes a novel sometime in the future because I think he cultivated his prose into something special.

Overall, this was another strong collection from Faudet that was both romantic and smart. show less

This is my first book of poetry. I do not like poetry. I don't get it and it doesn't get me. Usually, it does nothing for me. But when I was checking out the nominees for GoodReads best of 2015, something about this book spoke to me. I was intrigued and for the first time in ever, I WANTED to read poetry...voluntarily. So I put it on my 'maybe-i'll-check-this-out' list and then later, I put it on my Christmas wish list.

Well kudos to my hubby because not only did he get me practically show more everything on my list this year, he got me this book specifically.

This was just lovely. It captivated me. It was haunting, and dirty, and pretty, and beautiful. I loved the poetry and prose and short stories all mixed together. It drew me in. I cannot wait to read it again so I can decide which are my favorites. And then read it again so I can pick all new favorites.

Michael Faudet has given me a new...I wouldn't say love because so far it's only his poetry that I have enjoy reading, but I will say I have gained a new respect, or maybe just a curiosity for poetry and I look forward to not only rereading this, but his next book. show less

Dirty Pretty Things by Michael Faudet is a best-selling collection of poetry. To be honest, the title pulled me in. I am not much for romantic poetry and I don't read erotica, but something in this book seemed to hold promise. The range of poetry is wide, to say the least, from cutesy to something the other side of candied vulgarity. From serious to sophomoric. Somewhere in that mix, I found what I liked. At times there was the thrill of being outside my comfort zone yet still other times it show more was over the top. It is easy to see why this would be a best seller. There is something for everyone in this collection -- from the meek to the overtly adventurous.

Some of the writing is inspired:

Second Chance

We kissed beneath the twisted trees,
our lips between the stars,
tiny ripples in a lake
this love, once lost,
is ours.

Some a bit “punk”

Perfume

Her perfume reminded me of freshly picked
flowers and sticky candy floss, mixed with
a gentle hint of debauchery

Risque

Curious girl

She was a curious girl,
who loved the smell
of old books,
chasing butterflies,
and touching herself
under the covers.

To

“Fuck me like you hate me” she purred, her lips curled up into a
teasing point.

The collection certainly has range and a style dependent on the tone -- from quality to the lowest common denominator. I liked perhaps 80% of what I read. It was not the subject matter that turned me off the other 20% but the method in which it was expressed. Faudet seemed to lower his writing style and quality when writing more primal and vulgar poems. It is like he turned from poet to a trashy romance novelist whenever he mentions panties. The socially acceptable is well written and at times beautiful. The more animal side of love, or lust, takes on a more sensational, shocking, and simplistic style of writing. I can’t tell if this is intentional or not, but it works. From an intellectual point of view, the writing pulls the reader in and periodically repulses him or her only to be pulled back in again. It is a repeating cycle through the collection where Faudet is playing with the reader or perhaps it is incidental. I am going to go with the former because it seems to tie the whole theme of relationships, vodka, loss, and renewal together very nicely. show less

I haven’t read much of anything this January but I’m glad the one book I did read was this one. This book was exactly what I needed right now.

So many of the poems spoke to me. For example, one of my favorites was “If Someone Really Cares.” I related a lot to that one. Other favorites of mine included, “The Staircase,” “Never Close Enough,” “Happy New Year,” ”When Will I See You Again?” “Awake,” “Pleasure Bound,” and “A New Romance.” Also, I loved that he show more made a reference to Lana Del Rey (my favorite singer) in “Our Pretend Summer.”

I’ve been a huge fan of Michael Faudet since he published his first book, Dirty Pretty Things. None of his subsequent books quite lived up to that except for this one. This book reminded me so much of Dirty Pretty Things. If you missed his romantic and sometimes erotic poems, look no further than this collection.

Overall, I really loved this collection and it is just as strong as his first book. show less