Reviews

Set Me On Fire: A Poem For Every Feeling by Ella Risbridger

kirkspockreads's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

eriin_b's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.5

winterlelie's review

5.0

Well this is just an absolutely amazing poetry anthology. I jotted down so many quotes from the poems and Ella Risbridger's commentary on them and her afterword. Just marvelous and heart-warming.

zellm's review

4.0

Risbridger has such a lovely way of inserting her ideas and reassurances into her writing, and it just makes me feel comforted and warm inside. These poems were fantastic and the commentary definitely added something for me. I relate to Risbridger on a deeply personal level, as someone who also lost a lover too young (any time is too young) and her work speaks to me.

luanndie's review

4.0

Este año he descubierto las antologías poéticas y las estoy disfrutando muchísimo. Mi idea de antología siempre había sido la tradicional con un señor mayor desempolvando poemas de hace cientos de años y diciéndote que debías o no debías pensar de cada uno. Esto es completamente distinto. Risbridger hace un esfuerzo muy consciente por encontrar un equilibrio entre autores noveles y clásicos (algunos de los autores incluidos están todavía vivos! y no eran totales desconocidos para mí!), mujeres y hombres, distintas razas y orientaciones sexuales y eso se nota. Pero esto no es solo un trabajo de "cuotas", los poemas seleccionados me han parecido de gran calidad y en más de una ocasión me han dejado con gana de leer más. Incluso tengo ya un par de nombre guardados para seguir leyendo a esos poetas. Si eso no demuestra como de efectiva es esta antología nada lo hará.
Por último, quería mencionar la presencia de la propia Risbridger en la antología. Leyendo algunos comentarios he visto que a la gente se le hacía demasiado invasiva con sus notas al pie en los poemas. Nada más lejos de la verdad para mí. El tono de Risbridger y su forma de abordar los poemas me hizo sentir no solo cómoda siendo alguien que "no entiende" la poesía, sino que además me dejaba con la sensación de estar teniendo una conversación con una amiga. Muchas veces terminaba el poema y tenía muchísimas ganas de ver que conexiones había hecho Risbridger, si coincidían con las mías o si me abrían una nueva forma de entender o de leer el poema. Un placer en todos los sentidos.

kerryfriesen's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

5.0

geraldineleyendo's review against another edition

inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Some poems in this selection made me shiver - and for the longest time, I didn't even consider myself a "poetry person". Definitely glad that I have this at hand; I found the curation exquisite and the commentary funny and helpful every single time. I opened it with the intention of reading a poem or two, and it sucked me for at least a couple of hours. I may be a bit biased because as soon as I discovered the way it's structured, I felt immediately envious that I didn't make this book (and I'm not even an author!).

emma_m_mckie's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

kellyung's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.5

fav_rav's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.75

Ella’s commentary/guidance adds at least half a star to this rating. Reading how she came to create this specific collection made me appreciate it more. There were multiple parts where I was just not connecting to the poems, but I love reading things outside my comfort zone with the guidance of someone who deeply appreciates the work. And that’s what this is. I think Ella was 27 or something when she finished it, and reading it I did feel like she was very young (like early twenties young) but it felt so inviting, genuine, funny and personal (probably because it was made for someone close to her). I would have picked differently if I made an anthology for people who hate poetry but in a way the difference made me appreciate it more.