I'm not super familiar with the author's music but a lot of these poems read more song lyrics than poetry and I wonder if that might be more a of a hit for her music fans. I appreciate the vulnerability and really d some of them, but I don't know that this was quite the collection for me. Thank you to Libro.FM for the audiobook, all opinions are my own.libro-fm-library9 s gray (my.rainbow.bookshelf)268 50

honestly listening to Arlo narrate this was kind of a religious experiencepoetry-and-poetry-adjacent sapphics11 s Hannah Showalter286 34

beautiful poetry book by an artist i love!! love how arlo incorporates color into her work especially. loved that this was a mix of songs on the new album and poetry. also, this book was physically just so stunning! books-i-own court-and-hannah-s-book-club9 s1 comment emma charlton185 411

A good reminder that I need to follow my instincts and continue avoiding the songwriter/celebrity to poet pipeline. It shouldn't exist! SORRY! They're adjacent but different skills :( I much preferred the bits of prose at the start and end. (I love Arlo Parks) Thanks to Libro FM for the ALCread-poetry8 s Sarah | The Marsies524 188

Je ne connaissais pas du tout la musique de l'artiste et ça m'a donné envie de l'écouter ! Il y a quelque chose de galvanisant à lire des paroles de chanson comme si c'était de la poésie, sans nous imposer un rythme on est centré sur le sens même des mots. J'ai bien aimé la vulnérabilité qui se dégage même si certains poèmes ne m'ont pas spécialement touché 4 s Sam Rogowski2 1 follower

"This book is no longer mine, it is yours"

There are so many ways to consume this book, each giving a different experience, you can read the words at face value, listen to the songs as they appear in the book, or just flip through the incredible photography.

I have seen snippets of Arlo reading the poetry in her voice butter, but I feel that it would be most enjoyed and most impactful being read by the author 3 s UnderseaDavis131 1 follower

the song lyrics are awesome, but to me the poetry felt formulaic and kinda dull.

Evocative adjective + food + emotional state + listening to ____ artist = poem

3 s Lou72 2

I enjoyed this because I enjoy everything arlo makes, but i don't think i would recommend this the rest of the poetry i read. poetry3 s Sydney Sullivan53 1 followerRead

I saw Arlo and Lucy talk about this book on October 10th 2023 at the Colburn School of Music btw. if anyone cares. 3 s unplugget23 1 followerRead

Non sono abituata a leggere poesie e ho fatto molta fatica a comprendere questo libro. Per questo motivo non saprei proprio dargli una valutazione.

"I know that I haven't been myself
that I lost my courage [...]
I'm sorry
it's easier to be numb [...]"2 s1 comment Maria584 456

A beautiful audiobook that left me wanting more!2 s Mary Rose Harvey4

Unsurprisingly, quite lyrical poetry which was more emotive than visual for me. Beautifully presented debut, either way, and very softly written.2 s Court Schueller328 1 follower

September book club pick, a poetry book by Arlo Parks!

It feels Arlo can’t help but be uniquely herself, while also being so relatable it hurts my feelings!! Such good poetic writing. Only complaint is it wasn’t longer. I also loved the photos throughout the book. I had been intentionally waiting to listen to the new album fully through until I read this. Can’t wait to listen now! hannah-and-court-book-club2 s Jessie Lee57 1 follower

3.5 ** !! some were taken straight from my head and heart n some were okpoetry2 s tollpatschki40 3

hab wirklich in jedem gedicht sätze markiert (ich liebe sie)2 s MaggyGray607 30

Collapsed in Sunbeams

Ich habe vorher noch nie etwas von Arlo Parks gehört, und Lyrik/Gedichte sind eigentlich auch nicht so mein Fall UND ich finde das Cover einfach nur furchtbar... aber trotzdem (oder vielleicht gerade deswegen?) war ich auf dieses Buch neugierig.

In diesem sind Gedichte und Songtexte zusammen mit Fotografien versammelt, die Arlo Parks zusammengestellt hat und damit ihrer Gefühlswelt Ausdruck verleihen will. Die Texte an sich zu bewergten fällt mir nicht leicht, denn viele Ausdrücke, Sätze und "Beschreibungen" (z. B. "... wir sprechen nicht mit der Großmutter, aber ihr wurde vergeben") sind sicherlich nur für die jeweils Eingeweihten verständlich. Aber nichtsdestotrotz haben viele Strophen und Zeilen ihre ganz eigene Anziehungskraft.
Es geht um Liebe und Freude, um Zusammenhalt und die Freude am Leben, aber auch um Missbrauch, Abhängigkeiten und dem Hang, sich selbst und andere zu verletzten. Gesungen und mit der passenden Musik dazu kommen diese Stücke sicherlich noch einmal ganz anders rüber.

Das einzige, was mich ab und an ein bisschen irritiert hat, waren die deutschen Übersetzungen der Gedichte. Gerade solche Übersetzungen stelle ich mir extrem schwierig vor, weil sie, anders als bei Sach- oder Romantexten, den (Hinter-)Sinn eines Gedichtes transportieren sollen, ohne allzu sehr vom Original abzuweichen. Oft sind solche Gedichte Text- Erzählexperimente, die kaum zu übersetzen sind. Die Übersetzerin Amanda Mukasonga ist selbst Rapperin (unter anderem) und hat sehr viel Gefühl in die Übersetzungen gelegt, auch wenn ich im direkten Vergleich vielleicht den ein oder anderen Ausdruck anders interpretiert hätte. Aber auch das liegt wohl immer in den Augen der Betrachterin.

Ein wirklich schönes Stückchen Gefühl zum Lesen.

autorin my-books-in-2023 rezensionsexemplar1 Carina67

This book is beautiful. The photos, the lyrics, the poems, everything feels entering Arlo's brain and heart. It feels intimate. A super quick read. I’m not the biggest fan of poetry books and every time I read them, they are related to musicians I follow and appreciate. My favourite one was Process, and then the lyrics from the songs I’ve already held close to my heart, Pegasus or Ghost. I agree with the that say it feels a book written for Arlo’s fans, but since I’m one of them and you should be too, read this book and listen to the songs. My Soft Machine is one of my favourite albums and I think everyone should listen to it once in their lives. I wish I had my hands on the audiobook, I think it would make me change my 4.5 to a 5 star review.


“To talk about process is to talk about necessity, because not doing this is unbearable, because doing this is so unbelievably tender.” (From the poem “Process”)1 AJ126 1 follower

Please note: I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

Beautiful and lyrical and at times a little nauseating (from the good descriptions). I especially that Parks included photographs from her photographer friend (I think that’s who she said did the work). Her style is unique and occasionally more song with how she repeats stanzas. 1 Elle O'Neill8

A quick and beautiful read by the poetry queen herself1 Phoebe Ashton17 1 follower

Really enjoyed this- felt so personal, so good1 Maria Monteiro32 43

“How do the badly loved undo?”

Arlo, I love you. I love your songs. I love your poetry. I love your photographs. Such a privilege to be alive at the same time as you. 1 Wies Ballekens14

Listened to this. Their voice *chefs kiss* + their way with words *chefs kiss* 5+++++++ stars ?1 kenna s rocks P.4

I LOVE ARLO PARKS1 cassie joy75 2

arlo is a master at the specific and concrete image made lovely by a collage of words. this didn’t strike me very much emotionally but the images are just lovely 1 Karmina Wall65 5

I’m biased, I love Arlo Parks 1 Subilia183 23

loooooove Arlo Parks. I prefer her songwriting [feels an embrace] than her poetry. Just a stunning little book overall.lesbian poetry1 Vera Mannheimer25

Å! Fint och sårbart, gillar verkligen hennes anslag och referenser. Lyssnat på henne mycket men denna gav mig en mycket större inblick i hennes lyrics vilket var kul1 Mia340

3.75/5 (rounded)
A beautiful collection full of photography, lyrics, and poetry. To be honest I feel this is more for fans of Arlo as a lot of the content in here is her music, but it was an enjoyable read with some standout lines 1 mady88

love love love!! I love how she describes the world and it gave me that feeling in my chest and gut that I get when I read good poetry , def a reread and annotate situation1 Geritza33

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