Today dear readers I am honoured to be kicking off the blog tour for Feverfew (Published Paperback 4th January 2021 By Indigo Dreams Publishing) By Anna Saunders. A big thank you to Fly On The Wall for sending me a copy to review and also for the invite to take part in the tour, always appreciated.
Feverfew
In Feverfew Anna Saunders weaves together personae of myth such as Phaethon, Jupiter, Pan, and Aphrodite. With a clear-voiced contemporary disquiet about a planet threatened by human-led climate destruction, Saunders offers the reader passionate, nakedly confessional poems. ‘Surely these white stars will heal?’, the protagonist of the title poem asks, and the answer is proven to be ‘yes’ in a sparkling and powerful collection in which poetry acts as magic and medicine.
About The Author
Anna Saunders is the author of Communion (Wild Conversations Press), Struck (Pindrop Press), Kissing the She Bear (Wild Conversations Press), Burne Jones and the Fox and Ghosting for Beginners (both Indigo Dreams). She has had poems published in numerous journals and anthologies. Anna holds a Masters in Creative and Critical Writing from The University of Gloucestershire and is the CEO and founder of Cheltenham Poetry Festival.
My Review
From the instant I began reading, Saunders’ striking imagery took a hold of me. I was surrounded by colour, smoke and incense with the sound of hooves galloping in the distance. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, these poems hold beauty, truth, freedom and love. I listened to the stories of myths, encountered all manner of mystical creatures and stumbled at the gates of the underworld.
The way Saunders weaves a story together in her poetry is breathtaking. She captures raw emotion and paints it ferociously on the page. In The Husband’s Net I had vivid images of War seducing Romance, the passion and desire was intense. At times you feel as if you are intruding but you can’t bear to look away. Saunders’ use of imagery only heightens your curiosity and you are not disappointed dear reader.
I enjoyed reading the references to Greek mythology with characters like Icarus and Phaethon, they became entangled in Saunders’ poems. Then gentle yet harsh reality of how your father told you to keep your heart between earth and sky, flying too close to the sun will get you burned echoes throughout. The mythologies work well within the poems and give an other worldly feel that connects to the overall themes of the collection. A sense of a mystical time that exists in between reality and myth. Two worlds connected and fighting to survive.
My favourite poem out of this collection is Leda, by the River. I adored the imagery of the swans forming hearts with their heads and how their necks were like iced bridges glinting with snow. I could feel the feathers brush against my skin as they fell to the ground. It was an hypnotic experience, one that left me feeling at peace and tranquil.
I was captivated by the faint sound of wings fluttering when I read I Stole a Butterfly. The simplicity of stealing a butterfly and trying to keep it was beautiful to read. The sounds of an extra heartbeat and desire for the sky stilled time and took me back to a place when life was simpler. The image of life and death that Saunders portrays is emotional to read, one minute you’re flying around happily going about life, then before you know it you are cruelly stolen and you die reaching towards the light. Heartbreaking to read but also honest; brilliantly done.
I give Feverfew By Anna Saunders a Four out of Five paw rating.
I adored the imagery used throughout this collection, it was mesmerising to read and took me away to other worlds. You will be left savouring each poem before hungrily devouring the next. A feast for the eyes that leaves you enchanted with a desire for more.
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the blog tour, dates below, enjoy!
Links
Buy a copy
@AnnaSaund1
@IndigoDreamsPub
@fly_press
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Bunny’s Pause 