Old Monarch

4/5 stars:

Old Monarch is a collection of poetry broken up into three sections: Sonoran Milkweed, Longing in Flight, and Eucalyptus Tree (My Arrival to Rest).

I really enjoyed these poems and the bright feeling they filled me up with. I love poetry that makes me aware of the energy that surrounds me; poetry that really makes me ponder its meaning. These poems are beautiful and they read like a short and simple song. I connected best with the first section, Sonoran Milkweed, but I think this collection holds meaning that anyone can discern. My favorite poems included 'WATERCOLOR,' 'SEE,' 'GOOD VIRTUES,' 'SHIFTING SANDS,' and 'ONCE IN A LIFETIME.' Old Monarch is perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur's work and those who love summer, alternative country music, the outdoors, and the feeling of sunshine on their faces.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC ebook in exchange for honest feedback.

Courtney Marie Andrews writes beautifully with often simple words, but elegant reflections of place and personhood. Some poems are packed in lines, others spread on the page, but all are worth savoring.

I went into this knowing that Courtney Marie Andrews is a singer. But imagine my surprise when I go to google her and find out that she is a back vocalist in one of my all-time favorite songs, Invented by Jimmy Eat World. Loved that song for a decade and still didn't know who is featured in it lol. But of course it made so excited to read her poetry collection. And I was not disappointed, I ended up really liking this. In a lot of modern poetry collections the poems themselves consist of a few lines and they tell of something abstract. I've read those, you've probably read those. But not this collection. Andrews's poems are meatier, more grounded. They gave a great sense of place and nature. The imagery is easy to picture, but don't get me wrong, there are still many beautiful lines that I wanted to highlight. My favorite poems are: Before it all, Song infidelity, Dear dreams (very short, but evoked strong emotions), Human imagination, In small moments, Master of denial, If you are lucky. Old Monarch was a beautiful poetry collection and I will be looking forward to what Courtney Marie Andrews puts out next. P.S. since finishing this I've been listening to Invented over and over and I am having a blast.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

NetGalley, early read for honest reviews.

I honestly enjoyed most of these poems, though I couldn’t give it 5/5 stars because there were quite a few that just went over my head

I enjoyed this poetry collection. I felt like I could grasp a narrative running through it, and I appreciated the visuals and song-like quality of the poems. My favorites were: The Houses We Build, Saying Goodbye, and In Small Moments.

This collection was absolutely beautiful and i wasn’t even a tiny bit surprised when I learned that the poet is also a songwriter. My favorite poem was In Small Moments and overall this collection was sweet, deep, and emotional. I’m hoping to buy a physical copy in stores when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who lives in Arizona right now, this really hit home to me. I felt so connected to Courtney as she wrote about childhood and adolescence. I felt connected to the nature of the desert.

Overall, this was a good read and I'm happy to have read this.

Oh my, I just finished the best poetry collection I've read in a while and my heart is so happy! It's been a while since I've appreciated a collection of modern poetry so much!

I don't even know how to put it into words; it waa gorgeous, absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed some poems more than others, of course, my favourites being: Once in a Lifetime, Sisters Under The Pink Moon, Small Ships, The Silver Lining of Suffering, Regarding Nostalgia, Prisoner of Her Time, Resilience, Saying Goodbye, Nantucket Midnight Storm, Cure for Apathy and If You're Lucky! (I know that's a lot of them, but I couldn't pick any less, all these are the ones with the most enchanting lyrics for me).

I loved the emotions of bittersweet nostalgia, consoling melancholy, appreciation of childhood, the dive into memories! So beautiful! I especially adored how vividly these poems shaped images in my head, familiar ones. How it presented simple, everyday moments and showed the need to cherish them by putting them in beautiful lyrics. I felt very touched!

This poetry collection truly made me feel so calm inside and put a spell on me! Very beautiful!

I didn’t know what to except but it was an amazing surprise. I really enjoyed all the nature references. Without a doubt I will be recommending it.

‘Old Monarch’ is acclaimed Grammy nominee singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews’ debut poetry collection. Andrews is the title’s old monarch and the three sections of the volume follow her transformations.

‘Sonoran Milkweed’ is a bittersweet, nostalgic exploration of her childhood set against magenta sunsets and Phoenix’s vast desert sky. Several characters feature in the earlier poems: Her cowboy grandfather who saddles his favourite mustang, Pride, and gallops off to Love’s truck stop bar; a grandmother who committed suicide; her single mother with crow’s eyes and a Muttley laugh from smoking Camels, and the ghost of a friend. She describes: ‘Eyes toward the stars, yearning/ for what lay beyond the fence’.

‘I ran from home, the drab depression/ imagining an escape from the oppression/ into the arms of big ideas.’ As she becomes a young woman and leaves home, ‘Longing in Flight’ traverses the territory of falling in love for the first time and the end of relationships. “We are more resilient than we know./ I, too, will live through horrible sorrow/ and live to tell you in a dimly lit bar, laughing.”

The third part, ‘Eucalyptus Tree (My Arrival to Rest)’ describes Andrews’ arrival in a garden of rest, where through personal growth and hard learned wisdom she accepts the cycle of life, the inevitability of mortality and the constant changes throughout her life and the world.

“I am slowing toward the meadow, where there is nothing/ but monarchs on milkweed, a rising river flowing toward/ a land of afters. I will lay my tired body down in gracious/ grasses of gratitude. Once I arrive at the meadow in my mind/ I can make it another day on earth.”

There’s something in these poems that I can only call ‘detailed intimacy’ and ‘closely-worked humanity’. This collection is rewarding on all levels — there is wit, rich imagery and some serious thinking. Highly recommended.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @AndrewsMcMeel for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another poetry collection by Andrews McMeel that was fantastic.
Divided into three parts, ("Sonoran Milkweed," "Longing In Flight," and "Eucalyptus Tree (My Arrival to Rest)"), this was absolutely wonderfully done. I thought these poems were very real but at the same time sewn with the thread of possibility.
Definitely recommend!

Beautiful book of poems, dealing with a variety of topics, but focusing quite a bit on a relationship. Quick but good read,

I found this poetry book to be very insightful and unique. It felt as though I was whisked away to the southwest. Each poem is different in it’s message and formatting. I was not only able to identity with many of them, but the poetry revealed a candid sense of nostalgia that I couldn’t help but also feel. This is a quick and breezy read and I highly recommend!