the mermaid's voice returns in this one

Spring 2019;

I have no idea how this book ended up slipping through the cracks. I read this book earlier this spring, or last Christmas as an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review. I madly love everything about Amanda's trilogy of books and how they come round to the women regaining their voices, their tails, and their crowns. About how even the worst in the world, which is discussed in the earlier books and is so important and clear and painful, cannot actually bring them to their knees or bellies for long.

I truly cannot wait to see what poetry and prose come out next from her.

Feels like déjà vu.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Trigger warning for violence against women, including rape, as well as depression and self-injurious behaviors.)

when i tell you i’m still waiting for my hogwarts letter, what i mean to say is i never meant to be here for so long.

- forever wandering lost & wandless.

###

you are sad now.
you are not sad forever.

###

this is me
pressing
my finger
to the sand,

delicately
drawing
your name
there,

& then
stepping back
so i can
watch

you
as you’re
finally
carried away.

- goodbye.

###

The third and final poetry collection in Amanda Lovelace's Women Are Some Kind of Magic series, The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One engages with many of the same subjects and themes as show more The Princess Saves Herself in This One and The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One: rape and sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, mental health, and sexism and misogyny. The result is both biting and beautiful, if a little repetitive: it feels like we've been down this road before.

To be fair, my expectations might be to blame: with the book's fairy tale-esque title, I was hoping for more retellings in this collection. Maybe in the vein of “Small Yellow Cottage On The Shore,” Lovelace's contribution to the [Dis]connected anthology. Especially nautical-themed poems featuring mermaids ... and perhaps a narwhal or two! But the mermaid imagery is kept to a minimum, and there aren't really any reimagined fairy tales or fables to be found.

Yet, in the afterward, Lovelace describes The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One as the denouement in a series meant to help her come to terms with her experiences of abuse and violence, and perhaps commune with other survivors and potential survivors. I'm not entirely sure she hit the mark with each book - because, again, they kind of all blur together for me, rather than representing separate and distinct pieces of a larger whole - but, clearly, my expectations going in were way off the mark.

One way in which The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One deviates from its predecessors is by featuring pieces by guest contributors in the final section of the book, which is a nice change of pace. If you've read [Dis]connected, you'll recognize some of the names right off the bat; if not, you might just discover a few new poets to check out.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2019/03/13/the-mermaids-voice-returns-in-this-one-by-a... show less

Overall I liked this poetry collection. It's empowering, emotional, and heavy. Like the previous two collections it deals with abuse, trauma, assault, and suicide. It's pretty heavy; but despite that, still uplifting and hopeful. Confronting the hard truths and the ugly side of our lives, makes it easier to move on to acceptance and healing. Some poems were more powerful than others and resonated, but I didn't feel that about every poem in the collection. If you've read the first two, definitely wrap it up with this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC to review

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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*

1/21/19
I am so beyond excited to have an ARC of this y'all have no idea. I literally jumped in joy when I saw this on my Netgalley.

1/29/19
It is very rare to find poetry books that do not make me cringe and I relate to mostly. This is one of those rare ones. Amanda Lovelace and her feminist poetry collections is one of my favorite collections ever to had stumbled upon. They were easy to read for me and easy to understand, but they really sunk deep. There is not much to say aside from this was also my favorite out of her Women Are Some Kind of Magic show more series. This was the least cliche, it was cohesive, and ultimately the one that made me feel the most nostalgic while sticking to me long after I have read the passage. show less

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review!

I want to enjoy Amanda Lovelace's poetry because it seems like it should be my jam. So I keep picking her collections up, but so far none has really touched me. Her poetry just doesn't seem to mesh with me. Part of that might be the fairytale references - I don't love fairytales and am not interested in retellings at all, so this is very much a "me" thing and not a "book" thing. On the other hand, the mermaid theme was much less present than the princess or the witch were before, which is definitely a plus in my books and makes me curious what the author will do with other poems that aren't so closely referring to fairytale imagery.

I do appreciate the overall show more message, but I just don't gel with the execution and the structure of the collection. I'm sure lots of people feel differently, but I find it very hard to relate to so many of these poems because especially in the first half of the collection, most of the poems are so filled with bitterness and pessimism, which is just not me at all. I understand the anger and where it comes from - and it definitely is justified - but sometimes it just feels like shouting at an empty wall and wondering why there is no feedback. While the second part of the collection takes a more positive turn (as the collections in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series tend to do), it just takes too long to get there for my taste. For that reason, part iii ("the song") was also by far my favorite section - there are a few poems that I am sure will stick with me.

I think my favorite thing was when the author played around with the formatting of the poem and the words on the page. Experimental formats are something I always like and with this style of poetry - where most lines are just one to three words - it's so nice if there is something to break up the usual flow of the words on the page.

I appreciated that other poets were included in the last section, however it did make the collection feel a bit disjointed toward the end. Still, this was a great opportunity to read some other poets that I might be looking into more in the future! show less

Lovelace hit her stride in the fourth part of the book. I love how she mingled her own poems with others’ to really show the importance of using your voice to share your story. I just wish that magic had happened throughout the entire volume.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing and Amanda Lovelace for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy. Rating 3.5 stars.

This is the third volume of poetry from Amanda Lovelace and 13 other guest artists and is the final offering that follow the “women are some kind of magic” theme. In this one the mermaid has found her voice…

“nobody
has
the right
to lure
your voice
out of
you-

not
even if
they’re
a sea witch
looking
to make
a bargain”

The poetry deals with heavy subjects like sexual assault, violence, death, and child abuse, but really relates to all kinds of trauma. I don’t think you have to have necessarily have to have gone show more through something horrendous to get these poems. Just being a woman qualifies you get it. I love taking these fairy tale tropes that we have all grown up with and turning them on their heads, challenging them. A castle or a cell - both can be cages. Some of the poems I loved, some were okay, some pulled at my heart strings, others broke my heart, some spoke to me. My favourite:

“trauma didn’t change you all at once
it carved slowly every day
like rivers do
it was patient while it hollowed you out

so it’s a sculptor or it’s a knife
you take your pain and you other it
you give it a new name
and a new face

you say this might have helped shape me
it it is not a part of me

you say i meant to break open
to make room for stars”

untitled by trista mateer

Lovelace encourages us not to stay silent and to write your own story. Find your voice and state your truth. Any way you see fit. I will add, whether you decide to share it or not. Shout it from the mountain tops or lock it up and throw away the key. It can be a valuable path to healing. That is what these women share in this volume, it might help you. show less