This book was not quite what I was expecting. I read the title assuming this would be focused around nature; however, that was not the case. The author shows a degree of appreciation for nature, specifically trees, early on but this dwindles and eventually fades away as the book progresses.

I read a fair amount of poetry, and this was just not my cup of tea. There was very little that I gained from this book in a literary sense, and none of the writing was anything to write home about.

This new poetry book by Bowman is a collection of reflections and musings about love, healing and nature. I had expected more poems linked to Nature itself after reading the introductory poem and was a bit disappointed that Nature is too often studied through the prism of human relationships, but it was still a very nice read.
Although I liked this book less than the first one, I think rating poems is even more subjective that rating prose. There were not as many poems in this book that resonated with me as in the previous one, but there are still many little nuggets of beautiful poetry. The force of Bowman’s work is to sprinkle little specks of lyrical magic among very mundane musings and that is the reason I will continue to follow her work.

I’m finding it difficult to review this one as it’s a bit outside of my comfort zone.
I don’t feel that the content reflected the description – the poems were generally not related to trees/nature at all & whilst I understand that they were looking at trees/tree behaviour in abstract ways (such as the example given where trees can nourish other trees by linking their roots) it seemed more like a group of poems written as therapy for the author going through a tough patch in life.
The little filler verses between the main poems appealed to me far more than the rather dull, dreary, depressing poems with ridiculously long titles like “When you can go weeks without rain, a monsoon can feel healthy. You will be floundering and still thanking the sky. You will be drowning and still swearing you can swim.” or “The quiet doesn’t come when you see your path clearly. The quiet comes when you are no longer afraid to get lost along the way”
There are some great moments, but these unfortunately do not outweigh the majority of the book which lacks cohesion and feels like a collection of random scribblings rather than a curated selection of poems.

#WhatILearnedfromtheTrees #NetGalley

It's unfortunate I must echo what others have already said, but this book isn't as described. Aside from a small handful of poems littered throughout, I felt there was absolutely no connection to trees or nature whatsoever. A real pity.

I'm not sure why so many poetry books must be so dark and dreary, but this is also another of those. Not for me.

Beautiful cover.

Thank you for the advanced copy, I was drawn to this by the cover, absolutely beautiful.
I am not normally a fan of poetry but found myself drawn to some of these.

I will look out for my work by this author

I don’t usually read poetry, but was attracted to this book by the title. I found it quite a serious book, I enjoyed the descriptive titles, some of them felt quite profound, albeit with a light touch.

I was originally drawn in because of the pretty cover and intriguing title. What I Learned From Trees was not what I expected. It was real and relatable and while it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, it was definitely a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What I Learned from the Trees is a slim collection of author L.E. Bowman's musings on life, love and relationships. What attracted me first to this book was the title .I am a forest dweller by nature so a collection of poems centered around connecting to nature and titled for my beloved trees? I thought sign me up! The first couple poems referenced tree's briefly, touching on the fact that when one falls the roots provide nourishment to nearby trees which is a beautiful thought. That's about where it ended unfortunately.

The author does show a degree of understanding of poetry as a whole and there are some wonderful lines hiding within some not so great ones. The prose is jumpy at best, with poor word choice more often than not. I feel as though the author started with a clear vision but then wandered away and sort of forgot and it shows in the poem. They don't feel coherent at all.

I will say that I have read far worse attempts and I do believe that there is talent hidden within the author and potential however the prose just falls short and doesn't meet the standards of the books that will sit beside it on a shelf.

Thank you to netgalley and publisher for providing an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

What I Learned from the Trees is a collection of poems by L.E. Bowman which are general musings about love, life and family in free verse. I was drawn by the attractive front cover and the blurb and particularly enjoyed the last poem from which the collection takes its name. These are simple, easy to read poems with some poems having more of an obvious heme of nature than others.
Thank you to the poet and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Please note: I will share my review on Goodreads when the title has been added there.

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What I Learned from the Trees is a collection of poems by L.E. Bowman. These poems contain a wonderful blend of humanity and nature. These pieces remind us to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us each day, everything from our relationships with others, our relationship with ourselves, and our relationship with nature.

What I Learned from the Trees is divided into three parts. Although many of these poems were thoughtful, I found myself resonating and connecting more with the poems in the third part. The poems that stuck with me are on page 111 and 115. They painted a very realistic and vivid picture of what inner healing looks like. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for thoughtful pieces that dive deeper into nature, relationships, and healing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.