francesmthompson's Reviews (976)

This book is about my son. Except all he wants is pizza.

Another of my son's favourites (aged 2.5+)

Published on 1st December 2020, this book is my debut collection of poetry, and a work that took many years to exist as a beautiful, physical, spiritual thing that I am very, very proud of. So yep, 5-stars!!! ;-)

I hope you all enjoy the poetry and prose in this book. I wrote it for all the Lovers, Mothers and Others out there who are so much more than any one single label.

This book grabbed me with the opening line of its opening poem, and I realised in that moment that it had been a long time since a story had pulled me in so urgently. This book held me too, with a tenderness I will not forget for a while, and that I will share with many others in my life. This fragility came in the prose, the narrator's journey, and the way both shared pain and joy. After following the author on Twitter for a while, and reading his articles over the years, this book was not what I expected from him, but that made it all the more special an experience. It could easily be one of my favourite books of the year.

Definitely my least favourite of this series of books so far. Just oh so bleak, which is no surprise considering it's set in remote Greenland in the middle of winter. Lots of interesting elements to the story, but just didn't hold my attention in the same way and it felt like a slog to a slightly underwhelming "big" reveal too.

No-one should call themselves a feminist without reading this book.

Re-reading this as am considering doing a special 10-year edition for 2023 with a handful of new stories. It's always nice to be surprised by your own work, but this is what I liked most about this re-read:

* The quotes. I chose them well. Yay me!
* The variety of stories, characters and pacing in the stories. Niiiiiiice work me!
* The way I want to know what happens next for all the characters... and I flipping wrote them so if I don't know, who does? Silly me!
* How quick and easy nearly all of these stories are to read. Perfect for my mushy pandemic brain. Thank you me!

Guess I've got a year and a half to write those extra stories. I'm think a sequel for the title story, a prequel/postcard for the lovers in All the Beaches Are Made of Pebbles, and maybe a follow-up to Max's Holiday when he's a teenager. Oooh the ideas are already flowing!

My only complaint was I wanted more, more, more. A fabulous free FFM erotic romance.