Reviews

Picture Bride by Cathy Song

htoo's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This poetry collection reminds me of “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan but in a good way. Cathy Song has a talent for capturing scenes from the mundane life and turning it into a spectacular moment of introspection. My favorite poems were the ones that touch on family relationships (especially the ones concerning motherhood). Beginning the collection with “Picture Bride” and ending it with “The Seamstress” was a great choice that mirrors the beginning and ending of her mother’s new life in the United States. Overall, the language was beautiful and accessible. There were instances where Asian people were described in correlation to Asian food which feels kind of weird reading it in 2024.

amyappy's review

5.0

i am not a poetry person. free verse usually turns me off. but i absolutely loved this volume of poetry. song writes best when she writes about those close to her, her brother, her father, her mother. reading these poems was sometimes heart-warming and sometimes heart-breaking, but always a memorable experience.

qingyigeshu's review

inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

As smooth and suggestive as a watercolor

nappingcat's review

reflective

4.0

Quiet, lyrical, tremendously compassionate and keenly observed. Minimal and graceful and yet somehow plain and subtle. I loved the stories about family, immigration, and love told through this sensual, evocative prose. 

natmar's review

3.0

"Someone very quiet once lived here."

Very beautiful, simple poetic style. Cathy Song's poetry is captivating and so multi-faceted with hidden depths that every new glance could reap something new.

amyjane27's review

4.0

Some absolute gems: quite, delicate, like my grandmother, humming softly with black and white memories of the jade fields