Books and anthologies of poetry are among my favorite kinds of reads. Differently than reading novels, when I read a book of poetry, I concentrate more on the themes and the feelings rather than story arcs or character development (not that those are necessarily absent in poetry). This book, The Princess Saves Herself in This One, by Amanda Lovelace is certainly worth putting on your reading list.
The author walks through times of struggle in the book, wrestling with heavy emotions, including both romantic and family trauma. However, her voice never loses its power. She calls out the hard things, while having the strength to keep walking through them. In this way I find her narrative powerful, uplifting, and filled with hope.
She gives readers enough detail to become invested in her story without becoming so specific that readers can’t envision their own experiences as she writes. With the right mix of gumption and vulnerability, she illustrates our universal inner strength as women and as people to “save” ourselves in different ways. Sometimes strength can look like asking for help, saying “no,” or making radically different choices in our lives.
This book will tug at your heart strings while offering hope and courage. Whether you’re looking for a kind voice to uplift you or a read that will hold space for processing emotions, this is the book for you.