The stars of this book were the gorgeous illustrations.

However, as a collection, this did not work for me. Although I enjoyed some individual poems, I struggled to find any sense to the organization of this book. To me, the threads connecting these poems together were loose. It seemed as if they just googled “poems about women” and put them together.

I liked this book, inspired for women. But I wish there was more. I felt that the poetry was all well written and cover all different part of lives. Some of the poems were powerful and filled with meanings that reflected life. The illustrations were nice. Overall this was a quick read, that I enjoyed.

I have to admit that I don't really have much to say about this collection of poetry. I thought I was going to love it (actually, I thought this was going to be the one I would love the most of these three here), but it somehow couldn't reach me. There were good and less good poems in it, none of them really bad, honestly - but there were none that left a lingering impression or thoughts to think about later... and that would be the point of poetry, right? I don't say it's the poems, it might be me - I know poetry is very subjective. That is why I rated this book 3 stars.

What I actually loved in this book was the foreword: I felt way more empowered and inspired after reading that than after reading the poems.

I had really high expectations from this collection but it was such a disappointment. It would've been so much better if the pieces were tied together and more consistent. There were some bright spots though, especially the art.

I quite liked this collection of poems about women by women. Of course I liked some poems more than others but that is to be expected with poems varying one from another so much. Some of them were really inspiring and I really enjoyed them. It is a highly emotional and impacting read, and I am certain that many of these poems will resonate with a great many people. But overall I wanted to like this book of poems a bit more than I actually did. For me, it wasn't anything amazing and I didn't exactly love the poems as much as I hoped I would. But it was quick and enjoyable anyway and that's all that counts.

Although I could see the potential in this text, I was not able to sustain my attention and finish the narrative.

Few books have made me feel as empowered as this one. I feel thankful that I got to read it, because it is lovely to read things this beautifully written written by women.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Chronicle Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked those poems and now I even more understand somehow what is to be woman and what kind of womenhood might be. Even though every women are different, I got the feelings that I undetstand more and more, what I need to know when I can say that I'm woman. It was nice book which was full of beautiful poems and many poems gave to me different feelings when I read those poems again and again.

It was a big surprise that I got to read this book as ARC. I will be thankful and it was wonderful book. Maybe later this year, I even put this to be one of the books which I read this year (2019) because Helmet Reading Challenge. Because there is many place where to put this book in HRC like shorter book than 100 pages or women as main parts/views of women etc. I also hope that this will be also published in Finland where we can buy this book also.

I suspect that the most remarkable thing about this collection is the theme and the illustrations. It would make a tidy little volume to gift to someone who doesn't typically read poetry or doesn't have any preferences because it reprints or reproduces work already published elsewhere. If you're a seasoned poetry reader, there's nothing new to find except the beautiful colour block illustrations.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

sadly this wasn't my style of poetry and i couldn't get into it or understand the wording in most of them

The title of this book comes from one of the poems inside, called Here are Girls Like Lions by Elisabeth Hewer. A quote:

Here are girls like lions,

here are girls like howling wolves...

Here are girls who can't breathe air, only fire.

Here are girls who carry kindness...

You've got to help them rise.

This anthology of poems about and for women includes authors that I both know and those who are new to me. A partial list includes Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sandra Cisneros, Sappho and Mary Oliver whom I know and Mary Jo Bang, Naomi Shihab Nye and Jean Valentine whom I did not. If you are looking for an interesting, thoughtful anthology with an excellent introduction by Cole Swenson, I recomment this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley which I was given in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the free copy!

I must admit I only picked this poem collection because there is one by Margaret Atwood. I liked her poem, but I was positively surprised by a handful of other poems. I think my favourite was "Demeter's Cuttings" by Kimiko Hahn.

These poems speak about our experiences as women, what we live on a day to day basis and how we deal with it. We are far from living in a equal world, but I am confident we will get there eventually. Little by little we are adding battles to our victories and there will be a day when we will lose count, but we must never forget them.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this at first, but this was a bit of a disappointment it just seemed like they chose random poems to put in there. I wish they flowed together better then they did. I had high hopes for this. I did enjoy the illustrations though. I gave this a two out of five stars.

There Are Girls Like Lions, what an amazing title. That right there initially pulled me in.

Some of the poems have stood out to me in an outstanding way. A few lost me completely, these I feel like you need to devote time to study them and figure out what they mean to you personally. While a couple struck the wrong cord, maybe that is what the purpose was.. but I did not like them. In the end, this book is very strong. I recommend it!



Thanks NetGalley and Chronicle Books

The illustrations in the collection were stunning and really added to the work. I found I personally didn't connect with the majority of the poems and found it disappointing that there wasn't more about the modern woman in the modern world (modern woman including everyone that identifies as a woman).

Poetry is something to be savoured and enjoyed, spoken aloud where possible. This compilation will stay with me for a long time and, I expect, I will return to it time and again to capture new meaning.

I was expecting something more is why I feel disappointed with after reading this book. Some of the poems are great, but for me a lot of them I simply can't relate. The art is very beautiful, I just wish there are more to it or did something in me. But unfortunately this time, this collection is not for me.

Overall, this book is a lovely enough compilation of poem and prose. I’d say about half are outstanding, empowering pieces. Some of the others I found a bit obscure and a bore, lacking both poetic artistry and content.

This is a really round book, carefully crafted. I was delighted reading the introduction - seeing in the real world all the feminist theories I am currently studying at uni - and I really enjoyed reading the poems. I was particularly excited to be reading poems by certain writers like Margaret Atwood, Gertrude Stein and Sandra Cisneros because I already had heard of them, although later it surprised me and I only enjoyed reading the one by Cisneros - I also discovered other amazing poets along the way.
The only thing I felt was missing in the book is a brief description/explanation or even a really simple analysis of each poem, either before or after each one. I hope this review can reach either the publisher or the author and maybe they can consider including this in further editions.

This beautiful collection is designed for those who can appreciate the art poetry in all of its manifestations.

These poems are deep and complex. I was delighted to see some of my old favorites such as Mary Oliver, Margaret Atwood, and Emily Dickinson alongside other female poets who were new to me.

The collection begins with a fascinating essay that traces the the roots of feminism. Although I already knew a great deal of the information, the essay in and of itself was poetic and perfectly set the stage what the reader was about to encounter.

Although this book is relatively short, it has incredible depth. It took me several days to work through these poems because these pieces demand to be taken seriously. I found myself retreading all the pieces and working to tease out their meaning. It was an excellent mental exercise and extremely edifying.

The collection's opening volley is the eponymous "Here Are Girls Like Lions." This booming number made me sit up and take notice.

This piece is then followed by a fleet footed translation of the famous Sappho. Carson does an excellent job bringing this ancient poet leaping forth into modern English.

The collection moves from references to ancient mythology, with a delightful inversion of the Siren's song by Atwood, and at last brings the reader into the present. It is clear that the pieces have been carefully arranged. Each piece picks up on the nuances of the surrounding works. The juxtaposition of the various poems helps the reader to draw out the themes that connect the diverse poems.

My favorite aspect of this collection was the excellent diverse representation of female poets. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing my sisters' voices from across the world. I was also introduced to many poets who were entirely new to me.

The book is ornamented with bright and colorful illustrations that add a depth as well as a sense of untamed wildness to the poems. These illustrations make the perfect compliment to the text.

I highly recommend this book to all lovers of poetry, especially if you are interested in the voices of women or other traditionally marginalized groups.


Note: I received a free digital advanced reader copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.