This is a really interesting poetry collection and I really liked the “portrait of the artist as” aspect of all the poems. I don’t think I understood or comprehended all the pieces, but the ones I did get hit really good. Overall a really interesting collection.

I’m struggling with reviewing this because I feel like the digital formatting wasn’t as effective for reading as it would be in print. HOWEVER, I still did find what I read moving and will be seeking out a physical copy (or maybe audio) to finish the book.

I didn't like this at all. At time it was a bit triggering and the lack of warning about that anywhere in the book or online was sad. Poetry isn't usually my thing, but this? I just didn't like, didn't connect to anything, didn't find anything I liked about it.

I apprecitated several of the poems in this, but overall, I wanted to like it more than I did. I didn't care for the framing of each title as "Portrait of the Artist..." -- it rang pretentious to me, and seemed like the only thing really trying to unify the collection, as otherwise the poems seemed largely disparate. I thought that her poems about parenthood were some of the strongest, and would enjoy reading more of her work on this theme. I did love the final poem, "Portrait of the Artist as a Bog Body," and will likely include that in some of my options for students studying poetry.

This poetry collection was a lot different than any collection that I have read before. I was not the biggest fan of it. The words were beautiful, but I feel that I did not understand many of these poems. I like that they each focused on different moments or images. Still, the poems ran together and none really stood out to me. I did not connect much to these poems, but I could appreciate their literary value. They definitely gave me a lot to think about.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for this eARC!

Harbinger by Shelley Puhak
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the ARC!

I am going to be incredible honest, I did not enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I had such high hopes as I truly enjoy poetry but it felt like these were poems that they would dive deep into in an advanced AP poetry class or something. They were hard to read and held little to no emotional impact for me which is how I usually see poetry and rate it - how if effects me emotionally. I understood the core concepts of femininity, womanhood, sexual experiences, motherhood, etc but it did not land with me in any way.

I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. I enjoyed the writing style but wasn’t really connecting with the overall content. All in all, a quick read but none of the poems really stuck with me. The titles all being “Portrait of a…” made them all blend together in my mind but that might just be a me issue. I felt like this had a lot of potential but just didn’t resonate with me. I would give another book by the author a chance for sure. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I didn't enjoy this poetry book as much as I have enjoyed other Shelley Puhak works. She is a talented author; I just enjoyed her earlier stuff more than this!

An interesting collection of poems tied together by their titles (portrait of an artist as...). My favorite poem was actually the first "Portrait of the Artist as Cassandra." It was an excellent starter to the collection as it weaves together the themes of patriarchy, family, future, time, and love.

I won't pretend to be a scholar of poetry. My two main questions when reading poetry are: 1. Did anything stick with me and 2. Do I want to read this again?

The answer to both questions for Shelley Puhak's Harbinger is a resounding yes. Each of Puhak's poems brought something different. Each takes on a different persona hence almost all of them being titled "Portrait of the Artist as." Puhak has a knack for using words jump off the page without being distracting. Portrait of the Artist as a 100 Year Old House is the standout for me and perfectly illustrates her mastery of this old thing. Who else could write about a house smelling "like old apple core" and make that feel real.

Ultimately, when I finished Harbinger, I had already plan to revisit it soon. I don't think there is a stronger recommendation than that.

(I was provided this book as an advance copy by Netgalley and Ecco Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 10/20/2022.)

Harbinger is my first read of Shelley Puhak. I went in not knowing what to expect. I love poetry and I very much enjoyed this collection. The titles of the chapters were the first thing that grabbed my attention. Then, when I started reading the poems, I really started to think why I never read Shelley's books before.

When I found out that I have been accepted to read Harbinger, I got really anxious about writing a review for a poetry collection. It is not something I have done before so I might not know how to do it exactly. However, I can only say that I really loved this collection.

Thanks to NetGally, Ecco and Shelley Puhak for the ARC.

This was a beautiful collection with a very dark sense of humor which I really enjoyed. Puhak's poems in Harbinger are a bit repetitively formatted, but in a way that makes her writing feel cohesive rather than gimmicky. Some standout poems for me were: [Portrait of the Artist] Telling a Bedtime Story, Watching the Space Shuttle Explode, Reading the Newspaper, as an Artist, as a Pipe, and as a Bog Body. There is real cleverness and a lot at play beneath the surface of this collection, but it did not feel intentionally obtuse in the way I have found other contemporary poetry too often does; instead, it feels accessible, like Puhak is inviting you into the joke if you are only willing to squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side a bit in order to <i>Get It</i>. There were also some very astute observations on the world as we know it now, in 2022, nestled in here that I particularly appreciated. A strong 4 stars for me, and definitely one of the better poetic works I have encountered thus far this year.

At the beginning of the book, the publisher goes on to explain that the poems written in this book is different from the print version. They are right this time. It does seem like the poems are broken. I would love to compare E-version to the print copy. But the poems seem to be written pretty good, if you like morbid things. I am into morbid and gothic stuff so this is the perfect book for me. I actually loved it!! I hope I am actually right about this being kinda dark. I do not want to misunderstand the poems. If I am wrong then you have my sincerest apologies.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

Shelley Puhak offers a collection of poetic portraits, experiences woven through with historical and literary references, and arrangements of often-simple words. Drawing on memory and unexpected images (see, "Portrait of the Artist as a Squirrel"), this is a verse collection worth reading and sharing.

The cover is beautiful and the synopsis sounded intriguing but unfortunately I did not connect with the poetry at all. I liked how each poem was the portrait of something, but it wasn't that lyrical. Anytime something started to be it was ruined by a harsh word. I could see others liking this poetry, but I personally did not enjoy it. It felt more like reading a newspaper.