Reviews

Stepmotherland by Darrel Alejandro Holnes

anayamie's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

karathompson's review

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

studiouspoppy's review against another edition

inspiring reflective fast-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

4.0

internationalreads's review

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

friendlypoet's review

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, and War

iconoclastica's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.25

2treads's review

hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

I didn't think I would read another resonant poetry collection so soon after #Habitus. But here we are.

Holnes blew me away with these poems. With depth and lyrical verve, we move from Panama to America, through dictatorship to invasion and around mother, father, grandmother, friends, lovers and the ways in which he was shaped by their presence.

I could not help but become immersed in these words and their flow that spoke of change, family, love, identity, and place not only within our communities, but our lands of birth and step-lands.

The title speaks volumes of Holnes' experience from his foundational home to a brand new land where his mother had so many dreams of and for. There is celebration of women and sexuality and loss that will truly strike at the core of the reader. It certainly did for me. Definitely a collection that calls for numerous readings.