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megrob's review against another edition
5.0
I found this book in a search for a horror book published by an indie press, which was a prompt for the 2020 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. I'm not much of a horror person generally, so horror poetry seemed like a good compromise. I honestly loved this creepy yet enchanting collection of poetry. It shares horrific ideas without explicit graphic descriptions. The authors somehow maintained a reflective tone throughout. The Place of Broken Things was a delight.
joemkl's review
2.0
I read this as part of Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder challenge for the category 'Read a horror book published by an indie press.'
I didn't care for this. Some of the poems were excellent, but a lot were utter self-indulgent rubbish. Various ones referenced other poems in the volume, and others outside, and overall it made this book feel like they were trying to gatekeep horror poetry. Coupled with a couple of formatting errors on the Kindle eBook version I read, I just felt like a milked cash cow.
Two stars because the good poems were good, and it'd be unfair to punish them for being situated with less good ones.
I didn't care for this. Some of the poems were excellent, but a lot were utter self-indulgent rubbish. Various ones referenced other poems in the volume, and others outside, and overall it made this book feel like they were trying to gatekeep horror poetry. Coupled with a couple of formatting errors on the Kindle eBook version I read, I just felt like a milked cash cow.
Two stars because the good poems were good, and it'd be unfair to punish them for being situated with less good ones.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
3.0
It's always interesting when reading a book with two authors - I'm continually trying to see where the style of one meets the other. That's something which is somewhat easier here, as some of the poems are by Addison, and some are by Manzetti, and some are by both of them together. As a whole, the collection is heavily influenced by other artists - composers and painters and writers - so there's that stylistic layer as well, especially considering that some of the poems are inspired by other works, or are responses to them. An example would be one of my favourites, "When You Forget Me," by Addison, which a little note says was inspired by Neruda's "If You Forget Me." On balance, I think I prefer Addison's contributions. Although there's some blurring, her poems tend to use the plainer language and that appeals to me more. By far the best poem here, though, is a collaboration. "The Yellow House" folds in Vincent Van Gogh and his artwork. I do enjoy Van Gogh, and so bouncing between the imagery of the poem and the recollection of the painting gave this an extra level of interest.
On a different note, while I love the cover for this collection, the font used for the poem titles could be quite difficult for me to read. When it comes to font, as far as I'm concerned it's the plainer the better.
On a different note, while I love the cover for this collection, the font used for the poem titles could be quite difficult for me to read. When it comes to font, as far as I'm concerned it's the plainer the better.
literally_laura's review against another edition
3.0
Horror piqued my interest.
Indie publisher got my attention.
Poetry... Ehhhh we'll see.
I did really enjoy this book, as much as I enjoy any poetry (which is to say, more in an intellectual way than as entertainment). The vague creepiness and foreboding made me want to sit and pick each poem apart for subtle meaning and deeper thrills. They were NOT easy reads. You really need to focus and draw a picture in your mind to pick up on what is happening, but that is to be expected with any good poetry.
Indie publisher got my attention.
Poetry... Ehhhh we'll see.
I did really enjoy this book, as much as I enjoy any poetry (which is to say, more in an intellectual way than as entertainment). The vague creepiness and foreboding made me want to sit and pick each poem apart for subtle meaning and deeper thrills. They were NOT easy reads. You really need to focus and draw a picture in your mind to pick up on what is happening, but that is to be expected with any good poetry.
the_grimdragon's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.5
The guts are just as glorious as the cover of The Place of Broken Thing, this I promise you! It's filled with darkness & suffering; love & loss; the delightfully macabre & exquisite beauty that will claw at your insides, causing a flood of emotions.
esuchyta's review
The title of this poetry collection is telling -- verses of those who feel downtrodden, depressed, disillusioned, hopeless, and marginalized. Macabre, ghostly, and shadowed, the tone of the collection is ever dark. The pages very well could come with a trickle of blood. Yet, it is surprisingly accessible by poetic standards, which helps someone like me who only reads the genre on occasion. I did make the effort to Google the subjects paid homage to in various poems, and would recommend that to other readers. It helps make the context clearer.
Several themes are explored thoughout. I relate most with the depressive, spiral-minded ones that put to question if salvation is achievable. There is a pervading sense of burnout and loss of the creative spirit in the face of technological, cutthroat capitalism. Nature has been tainted by a humanity who has orphaned it. Reductionism and alienation by the corrupting forces of religion are also recurrent. Several trigger warning come along with this title: self harm, suicidal ideation, abuse, both sexual and physical.
I'm not the most knowledgeable about poetry, but the bottom line is that I enjoyed this collection and could easily relate to it. It isn't impossible to read and is profound and tantilizingly dark.
Several themes are explored thoughout. I relate most with the depressive, spiral-minded ones that put to question if salvation is achievable. There is a pervading sense of burnout and loss of the creative spirit in the face of technological, cutthroat capitalism. Nature has been tainted by a humanity who has orphaned it. Reductionism and alienation by the corrupting forces of religion are also recurrent. Several trigger warning come along with this title: self harm, suicidal ideation, abuse, both sexual and physical.
I'm not the most knowledgeable about poetry, but the bottom line is that I enjoyed this collection and could easily relate to it. It isn't impossible to read and is profound and tantilizingly dark.
inkychaotics's review against another edition
5.0
The Place of Broken Things is a dark delight of a collection. I was particularly impressed by the poems Addison and Manzetti wrote together -- they flawlessly play off each other's tone and language to create stand-out pieces like "While the Rooftops Became Red" and "The Dead Dancer." Each piece embraces flavorful language that sticks on your tongue as you read along and digest the poems. Highly recommend this collection to all fans of darkness and the macabre!
el_stevie's review against another edition
5.0
The Place of Broken Things is a collection of dark poetry from Linda D Addison and Alessandro Manzetti, both Bram Stoker Award winners. I have read Manzetti before, in his No Mercy Collection (also from Crystal Lake Publishing) and was looking forward to his latest offering as he has become a favourite ‘new discovery’ to me. I have not read any of Addison’s work so was curious as to how this collaboration would pan out; as it turned out, the poets complement each other very well.
The first poem, The Dead Dancer, is the standout piece. Written by both it chronicles the life of a dancer, who, though once free, has become no more than a puppet, dancing to a tune over which she has no control. Her surroundings decay over time, become a death house and the dancer is trapped on ‘the wheel going nowhere’, is like the moth trapped in a jar. The weaving in and out of musical notation and funereal metaphors ties the reader to the page, traps them in this bleak world as much as the dancer.
Another favourite is A Clockwork Lemon Resucked in which the death of creativity and thereby the removal of the possibility of the contamination of others with ideas, is explored. Destroying the poets, those who dream, leaves the world cold, unfeeling and grey. It is a warning.
I couldn’t read Mardi Gras without thinking of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ song She’s a Carnival. And even if the poet didn’t have this track in mind, music weaves its way through the lines of many of the poems, whether in imagery or by explicit reference.
There are 35 poems in this collection, tales of the homeless, of despair, loss and suffering, of fallen angels and distorted religions. These are poems which demand your attention, will not be satisfied with one reading but insist they be devoured. These are words to be savoured.
The first poem, The Dead Dancer, is the standout piece. Written by both it chronicles the life of a dancer, who, though once free, has become no more than a puppet, dancing to a tune over which she has no control. Her surroundings decay over time, become a death house and the dancer is trapped on ‘the wheel going nowhere’, is like the moth trapped in a jar. The weaving in and out of musical notation and funereal metaphors ties the reader to the page, traps them in this bleak world as much as the dancer.
Another favourite is A Clockwork Lemon Resucked in which the death of creativity and thereby the removal of the possibility of the contamination of others with ideas, is explored. Destroying the poets, those who dream, leaves the world cold, unfeeling and grey. It is a warning.
I couldn’t read Mardi Gras without thinking of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ song She’s a Carnival. And even if the poet didn’t have this track in mind, music weaves its way through the lines of many of the poems, whether in imagery or by explicit reference.
There are 35 poems in this collection, tales of the homeless, of despair, loss and suffering, of fallen angels and distorted religions. These are poems which demand your attention, will not be satisfied with one reading but insist they be devoured. These are words to be savoured.
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