Normally when I read poetry I can develop a connection with the poet, however I found it difficult with this one. It didn’t seem like my type of poetry. Overall, it was not a bad book, however it did not connect with me.

"Glimmerglass Girl" is a fragile yet strong collection of the various faces that women face in love, life, marriage and self. Walrath 's imprint is in every line and you can read that some of these poems are closer to her than others as they feel a part of her in the way the lines are presented.

It's an interesting mix of fragility and toughness while hinting at lines of self exploration among the images that create a lyrical, rose hued imagery that can stay with you for hours long after reading it and considering that I read very little poetry, that says about the writing prose. I'd very much be interested in reading more from Walrath as her writing progresses.

Thank you to Finishing Line Press, Netgalley, and Holly Lyn Walrath for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Glimmerglass Girl was the first poetry collection I read by Holly Walrath and to be honest I didn't really like it. I couldn't really relate to the poems and the poems weren't that interesting to me. I do have to admit that I still haven't read that many poetry collections, 17, but I just didn't didn't feel it.

I do however have 2 favourite poems:
In Rejoice of Kindred Grief
Wind-up Girl

„Glimmerglass Girl“ was introduced to me as a feminist poetry book and the cover was so absolutely stunning that I had to have it!
So I dove into the well curated words, a world of sorrow and learning, darkness and understanding! The pictures to underline the poems were a bit retro and I liked that! (Though I would probably have chosen not pics from other people but maybe herself, to underline the words right?)
Holly chose all the right words, so many beautiful words to embrace her story and show the world the fragility and yet power of womanhood. It was a good poetry book, but still It didnt amaze me for one big reason:
I felt so much sorrow and regret in those poems. A feminist book should show young girls how to love yourself with all its struggles and problems, but still presenting how beautiful womanhood it. I couldn’t find that here. I only felt sorrow for the time lost and the decisions not made. I loved the poem where she ate the moon and a baby came out, that was for me the most beautiful description of motherhood I could find. It seemed like she had to hide herself a lot in her past and it is good to speak about that! People need that. But I think Holly must be a super strong woman, with a big heart and an even bigger Head full of beautiful words, that should have been more present in my opinion!
Still I enjoyed the poems and would recommend it to poetry lovers over the world!

Glimmerglass Girl is a collection of writings about being a woman, death, alcoholism, self image and more.

I have to say that I had a hard time connecting with most of these writings. Maybe it's the timing of when I read the book, but it just wasn't for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Finishing Line Press for giving me the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This poetry collection was very special in that it had modern feel but also reminded me of classic poetry. I don't really see modern poetry collections that have wording this whimsical. I really enjoyed some of the poems, but I couldn't connect to many of them. That only speaks for my personal experience though and doesn't take away from the beautiful feel of the overall work and the lovely combination of words and drawings.
I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone who is into poetry, be it classic or modern or feminist. This collection has something for everyone.

The poems that really spoke to me personally were the following:
The Art of Loneliness
Heart as Seen Through Camera Obscura
Behind the Glass

First of all I want to thank to Finishing Line Press via netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book is a compilation of poems that claim to describe the modern woman.

This is not one of those books I can say I devoured. I read it quickly for sure, but I did not devoured it.

I considered some of the poems beautiful, but overall I did not feel much affinity for what was written, I could not connect emotionally with the book.

This is one of the reviews that cost me the most, because reviewing poetry is very difficult, since what for me may be reasonable, for someone else can be excellent.

My favorite poem was "The Art of Loneliness". And one of my favorite quotes: "You may learn to sleep throught the night, warmed by the tought of your own existence".

Despite this, one of the pros of the book is that it does not present "made phrases", a.k.a those typical cliché phrases, which usually happens in poetry books. On the contrary, in the middle of the poems there are incredible phrases with a lot of potential to be spread and become iconic (and let's face it, they'll be AWESOME in the descriptions of instagram photos AHAH).

Would you recommend this book? Yes, but perhaps to a more mature audience that can relate to what is described.

Maybe when I gain another maturity I will reread the book and feel the affinity I expected to feel now.

So I decided to give 2.75 stars, because it deserves neither a 2 nor a 3. But in the final I will round and give this book a 3.

Glimmerglass Girl
by Holly Lyn Walrath
Finishing Line Press


Poetry
Pub Date 03 Aug 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Glimmerglass Girl through Fishing Line Press and Netgalley:

Poetry is one of the hardest genres to review because a poem can have a different meaning to every reader l:
In this short collection of poetry Holly Lyn Walrath explores love, marriage, abuse and self harm of the body, death and alcoholism through a woman's heart who has experienced them in on one way or another. It does this while taking the reader on a fantastical journey through the world of fairytales and unicorns. A world where feminity is both as powerful and delicate as a wing glassed beauty.


I give Glimmerglass Girl five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Fantastic prose! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves great poetry! It is so hard to stand out in the world of poetry where every line is a rhyme of simple words like you, do, too, and through! It was refreshing to find poetry that actually tells a great story! Thank you for allowing me early access to this ARC!

Thank you Finishing Line Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Glimmerglass Girl is a poetry collection which focus on women. Their struggles, dilemmas, relationship, love, abuse and alcoholism. The writing was whimsical and refreshing. Each poems may appear light and fantastical but it conveys a deep and serious message. These kinds of verses are challenging to analyse and to reflect on. Once I finished, I reread it in a gradual pace and I have troubles connecting to it. However, there are a few poems I liked: The Art of Loneliness, She Learns How to Disappear, Premise of the Heart, Blue Cadillac and Woman.

I'd like to thank my dear friend Shealea for recommending me this poetry collection. <3

Glimmerglass Girl is a poetry collection that speaks to the modern woman and deals with many issues of the self. The collection is relatively short, so you have to sit with each poem to gain some insight into the meaning and emotion in conveys. Many of the poems are simple without much flowery language, so it is something that can be easily accessible for any type of poetry reader.

I think this book just went entirely over my head, this writing style made it so difficult for me to read. I also just couldn't emotionally connect with this collection even though it centered around womanhood and self-reflection. The style in which it was written just felt like it needed more pauses, a place to breath while reading. Also some of the conclusions that the poems came to didn't really make sense to me, especially the poem on loneliness. I think the biggest thing lacking for me was that it didn't feel like there was a message throughout the book. It just felt like disparate poems that besides being about women didn't connect in any other way.
I do think this is a collection for somebody though. If maybe you aren't a fan of the simpler styles found in modern poetry or enjoy something that is more a stream of consciousness, I think the stylings of this book will really suit you. All in all while this collection wasn't personally for me I do think it is an intriguing set of poems that could appeal to a different audience.

As a short collection of poems, Glimmerglass Girl was a quick read for me. With delightfully lyrical language, impactful images, and a sophisticated flourish under her arsenal, Holly Lyn Walrath offers a myriad of layered female experiences in a very limited number of pages. While I greatly enjoyed most of the pieces, my five favorites were Espejitos, Behind the Glass, Woman, Two Hundred Fifty-Seven, and The Art of Loneliness.

I cannot think of a better title for this book because a lot of the imagery depicted in the poems was shockingly vivid, and at times, graphically violent and fascinatingly morbid – yet, in spite of this, these images were still presented in an almost delicate, poignant manner. Additionally, no matter how dark and ominous the tone became, an underlying thoughtfulness was still palpable. As I read, I found myself constantly startled but above all else, intrigued and wanting to read numerous passages over and over again.

I was not a fan of the complementary artworks that accompanied some of the poems because they made the text more difficult to read. In addition to this, none of them made a lasting impression on me nor were they value-adding to my overall reading experience. Nonetheless, I was immensely fascinated by the text. There were more than a handful of poems I could interpret in more ways than one, which was pretty interesting. Glimmerglass Girl is definitely a haunting yet captivating collection that can easily provoke readers into speculating on the lived experiences of women as well as underlying notions of femininity.

Small but well formed, this poetry anthology about what it means to be a woman contains some truly beautiful pieces, particularly for me " The Art of Loneliness " and "Premise of the Heart ". As a whole the collection was quite diverse, and some pieces were more easy to connect to than others, but each demonstrated a skill with imagery and wordcraft. The illustrations scattered throughout were also a nice touch. While there is a certain fragility in the imagery of the poetry, there is also an undeniable strength, and a sense of power. I could easily imagine that most readers will find something to connect to in this book.

Generally a very well-written collection of poetry, exploring themes of being a woman. Even though that isn't something I share with the author I still found the scenes and images to be evocative and relateable. As a whole, an enjoyable poetry chapbook.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

This short poetry anthology dealt with the female identity in the modern world. Whilst I did appreciate its contents and liked the style used to portray this message, I found I lacked a complete emotional affinity with some of the poems contained here.

Anthologies are always hard to gauge a star rating for, as the varied contents will always produce a variety of responses in me. Some poems I read and reread, in awe of the wonderful prose and exultant in the emotion it exuded. With others I could only nod at the skilful use of words but feel no deeper emotion than that. But such is the way with anthologies. This was still wonderful and still profound, but void of the complete emotional marriage I presumed I would have with this collection, given the nature of the topics covered.

My favourite poems included:
Elegy for a Body
She Learns How to Disappear
Two Hundred Fifty-Seven
The Art of Lonliness

Thank you, Finishing Line Press for the ARC copy of Glimmerglass girl by Holly Warlath.

This chapbook is daring, raw and everything poetry dealing with feminine identity should be. I had a hard time pausing in between poems because each left me wanting more. But these poems are meant to be tasted and savored. They do leave an aftertaste that takes a couple of minutes to wear off, but it is the kind that is exciting and invigorating.

I especially loved "I Am Going To Find The Unicorns." The imagery is strong and in-your-face.
"I will kneel in the dirt and read leaves like ruins. I
will put mud in my mouth to taste dwarves."

The concise nature of chapbooks brings out the true impact of poetry as strong as this. I would love to read more from Holly, she has a new fan.

I loved it ! I don't usually read poetry but I wanted to try this one ... I don't know ... It was so delightful and so well written . Everyone should read this short collection of poems .

A chapbook of feminine writings with tales of fragile emotions that stir a whirlwind of strength. If read by a male mind, he may feel closer to knowing the heart of a woman. When a woman reads these poems, she may feel they were written for her.

It was impossible for me to stop reading until I had finished the last poem. Then I was sorry to see it over. I truly wanted more of this writing style.

The author tells secrets. She dares to say it. Life expects us to play nice and these poems felt like an outlet. Each poem meant something very deep and very personal to me.

While reading, I was reminded of things I do not need and the things that mean the most. What should be cherished. What can be let go.

In this wonderful book of poetry, the mundane is art.

Taking a note from one poem in particular, “I AM GOING TO FIND THE UNICORNS”. The entire piece is surreal yet hits me. It screams and sets things straight with “Blood and horns and teeth.” It is a beautiful way to thumb your nose to the world and carry on as one may see fit.

This poetry is not typical. The art following each poem makes this book a beautiful illustration.

The stories are told quickly. Being short and to the point, the point is driven hard and deep.

Thank you so much to Finishinglinepress via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of Glimmerglass girl by Holly Warlath. This will be released on August 3rd of 2018.

Glimmerglass girl ⭐️
This is a collection of poetry of sorts. Its not the typical collection. Its more like very short short stories.
There is artwork within and helps bring the shorts to life.

Favorite poems
In rejoice of kindred grief
Behind the glass
Elegy for a body
She leanrs how to disappear

Favorite quotes
“With sadness like no tomorrow”
“We talked about the future which seemed to end in may”
“I take up ashes like taking up space”
“I spilt myself apart”
“Human she is not quite”
“Our bones hollow fingertips into feather”

It was unique and beautiful. So many different concepts and points of view. This was not just one thing. It also has many different styles of poetry which was interesting to see.