Visual Poetry is something I haven't really encountered before, so I don't have any point of reference, but this was... pretty damn beautiful. Seriously, the symbolism and metaphors and... I don't even know what to say. Just that it was beautiful and meaningful and I kinda want some of the pieces as tattoos.

There might not have been so much words in this book but my god did I write while I was watching these art works. My feelings just poured out of me and I loved every single second of my time spend with this collection.

I've been loving Henn Kim's art for awhile now. (Didn't even know she was bringing out a book!! Definitely going to buy it!) So thank you very much Netgalley for this wonderful copy!

I used to turn her art works over and over in my head when I saw them. At times, they expressed exactly how I felt. And though I may not have been able to find the right words for my feelings or emotions back then, I do now. It was a delight to see them reflected again in this collection.

I found the art works to be very moving and poignant. What I also really loved are the references to other art works, or rather art forms as she uses a lot of sentences from lyrics or other famous literature pieces and turns them into her own style and interpretation.

Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um einen Sammelband von grafischen Gedichten. Die Zeichnungen werden stets begleitet von einer Wortgruppe oder einem sehr kurzen Gedicht, welches das Bild beschreibt oder die Intention dahinter verrät. Einige Zeichnungen entsprechen wörtlich genommenen Redewendungen, andere beschreiben ein Gefühl.

Ich ließ mich von diesem Buch überraschen, da ich nicht genau wusste, was ich mir unter dieser Beschreibung vorstellen sollte. Mir hat sehr gefallen, wie verschiedene Gefühle und Gemütszustände hier interpretiert wurden. Manche Zeichnungen boten Raum für viel Interpretation und haben mich gefesselt, andere Zeichnungen hingegen waren für mich schwer nachzuvollziehen. Die beschreibenden Wortgruppen haben für mich nicht immer zur Zeichnung gepasst, bzw. habe ich in diesen Fällen nicht verstanden, was hier ausgedrückt werden sollte.

Insgesamt war es eine interessante Erfahrung, Poesie auf diese Weise zu erleben und zu spüren. Ich vergebe gute 3,5 Sterne.


In English:

This book is a collection of graphic poems. The drawings are always accompanied by a group of words or a very short poem that describes the picture or reveals the intention behind it. Some drawings correspond to literal idioms, others describe a feeling.

I was surprised by this book because I didn't know exactly what to imagine under this description. I really liked how different feelings and states of mind were interpreted here. Some drawings left room for a lot of interpretation and captivated me, but other drawings were difficult for me to understand. The descriptive groups of words didn't always fit the drawing for me, or in these cases I didn't understand what was supposed to be expressed here.

Overall, it was an interesting experience to experience and feel poetry in this way. I award a good 3.5 stars.

I don’t really know how to describe this book. Expecting a poetry book, I was somewhat surprised to find illustrations with fitting one-liners, instead.

Still, it’s a relatable book and I think it’s a great for a coffee table, for people to browse at random. The illustrations are nice and the overall message worth reading, I guess.

/ Denise

I received an ebook version of Starry Night, Blurry Dreams by Henn Kim from NetGalley and the publishers, Andrews McMeel Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Release Date: 7 September 2021

I went into this book expecting it to be a poetry collection with some cute illustrations; instead, it was an illustration collection with some cute phrases. Potentially this is the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The back of the book does say this is classed as "visual poetry" and I would agree with that term, I just didn't see it till after I had finished the ebook.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! It's evident that so much time and effort went into the creation and polishing of the work. Keeping them all in black and white rather than adding colour makes them very striking. The phrases they come alongside are very clever, and I would be interested to know if the author came up with the phrases first and drew an image based on that, or vice versa.

This is a great coffee table book and one I would love to own in person and flick through every now and then. It's definitely a book that makes you stop and appreciate the little things, which I think is very important in such a chaotic world!

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Simple yet very complex!

The book is disturbing, distinct, and beautiful. It helps you understand and identify feelings. The poetry is like reading captions. It makes you want to have a lot of the images framed and on your walls. I definitely enjoyed the style and variety of feelings expressed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McNeel Publishing for granting me access to this book.
This iconic illustrator perfectly portrays each and every one of the sayings in the book about love, loss, loneliness, and solitude. Though not poetry, her art speaks louder than words which makes this book a perfect atmospheric book suitable for any coffee table.

Starry Night, Blurry Dreams is full of lovely, calming, and powerful illustrations. It was easy to recognize and relate to the emotions being portrayed. It fantastically captures what it feels like to be lonely, to be in love, and to grow from past experiences.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book.

A beautiful and moving collection of illustrated poems. I might like to own this one at some point, to be honest. Just lovely.

I think part of my issue with this book is that it was billed as "graphic poetry". I went into it expecting a genre fusion between graphic novels and poetry, or an artbook with poetry woven in. And while the illustrations are lovely and unique and exactly my brand of surrealism, there's no real poetry in this book. And I don't mean that in a snobbish way, like "real" poetry is something to achieve. I mean this book is full of illustrated scenes and a one-to-six word caption. They're interesting captions, and they often bring new insight into the illustrations, but they're more pun than poetry.

The other thing I would have loved to see in this collection (because from here on out I'll be treating it like a coffee table artbook) is more variety in the people depicted. Every woman in this book looks the same, and while this may likely be a stylistic choice, in a world where people have whale heads sometimes and go to octopus salons, I would really have liked to see any variation in body type, skin tone (yes it's black and white; no that's no excuse), even hair texture. After 300 pages, a skinny pale woman with big boobs and a curvy butt gets boring.

Additionally, my favorite art books are the ones with some overarching plot or narrative, and although there were a couple of 3 to 4-part storylines, there really wasn't anything more lasting.

Overall: 7/10, mostly just disappointed.

Author and illustrator Henn Kim has created a stunning book of visual poetry. The poems are spare, yet elegant and powerful, and are accompanied by gorgeous black and white illustrations. I have never read or seen anything like it. The images often contain food and drinks and position the female character to be a part of the food or drink. I read it in one sitting, the illustrations and accompanying poems were so eye-catching and unique.

The illustrations and poems represent deep emotions and different moods and feelings. They are very relatable poems and very calming to read. As with the other titles that the publisher puts out, I loved this one. Thank you to the author, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I am not very into poetry or poetry books but I made an exception for this book. I loved. Surely some of the poetry will make you feel connected to them. The words and illustrations work together to make you feel everything the author wanted, I guess.
The cover and the title are lovely. It's worth the reading.

One of the best graphic poetry books I've ever read. Henn Kim is a complete artist. Her illustrations can hold so many feelings. I've seen her art before on social media, but this was the first time I actually had contact with her words and I could see how everything is connected. I loved it! Totally recommend it!

* Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly I could not download this copy so am unable to review the book of poems.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

Muchas gracias Netgalley por el envío de una copia avanzada a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Este poemario es tan bello y sencillo a la vez, de lectura ligera y con ilustraciones que hacen que todo lo escrito tenga aún más sentido.

Los versos que acompañan las ilustraciones hacen que la lectura a veces caiga en un punto en el que se vuelve irónica y sarcástica, dulce y amarga.

Las ilustraciones son muy bonitas y representativas, con las que podrías identificar facilmente los poemas.

Una lectura agradable y que volvería a repetir en un futuro.

This is considered visual poetry. The images were pleasing and with depth behind the meaning of the illustration. The book is good for chilling and be immerse to the arts.

This book was way shorter than expected. It is more a collection of aptly-titled illustrations. Almost all of them are witty and clever and pun-like. They are my favorite kind of illustrations. The book is divided into parts of the day, which adds depth. The illustrations are monochrome and dreamy. I wasn't comfortable though with all the nudity. It's different and relatable and inspiring and calming all at the same time.

A pleasant, easy to flick through piece of work.
I understand where many reviews say “this isn’t poetry” come from, but just because this style isn’t typically seen as poetry, doesn’t mean it isn’t.
I haven’t enjoyed a piece of work this much since my last read of an Amanda Lovelace collection!
I would love to get a piece of this art tattooed on me (with the artists permission of course! Would anyone know how to go about this?)
I adore the art style and the progression of story. I read this as an ebook through NetGalley and already have a Hardcover on the way to add to my collection.
Lots of funny puns, and short pieces that make you think. Worth picking up if you enjoy artwork as much as the written word.

Exactly my kind of book when I get too chaotic. And chaotic I am. Most days. And this collection is just the cure to make myself understand I am who I am and I need to accept it. Things do calm down when I see and read something relatable. This. Is. Exactly that.

You do not need to think much about what you are reading but a few words that would speak to you.

You do not need to look much into the details of the illustrations that depict the different moods and emotions. But you will feel exactly what it tells you to.

Love this collection so much!

Thank you, Andrews McMeel, for the advance reading copy.

”to calm my mind
books are my cup of tea”

this was a unique and beautiful poetry collection! the illustrations do most of the talking since there aren’t many words in this book, but I like that about it. some are a play on words, while others are a bit more abstract. overall it’s a really pretty collection! I also follow a lot of tattoo artists with a similar art style, which I loved about this book.