The Apricot Memoirs

The Apricot Memoirs by Tess Guinery is a collection of poetry interspersed with graphics. The poems were beautifully and lyrically written. I was able to connect with some of the poems which made them more memorable for me, though I enjoyed reading through all of them. There was a lot of underlying spirituality and religious references that I did not anticipate when I began reading. This collection of poetry and prose would be a wonderful read for someone looking for affirming and uplifting words.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

"You'll never know what people truly think you of - assume it's lovely."

"When the hearts reluctant, stop and ask it why."

This book is a somewhat random series of poems about self love, religion, and being a mother. While there were quite a few poems that just didn't speak to me, mainly the more religious ones, there were a few that felt really moving in their simplicity - the ones I most enjoyed were short, to the point - almost obvious, and about trusting, listening to, and learning about yourself.

One of my favourite things about this collection as a whole is the authors preface and postface about it's composition - that the words are bits and pieces, spontaneous, excerpts, partial moments - and that she hopes one day to build words around them. This lends a sort of beauty and perhaps order to the chaos, and a certain relatable vulnerability to the author.

Overall this was a quick and easy read. I think it would be a great gift for a young new mother (especially if they are religious).

This is an interesting collection of poems; on love, self love, religion, motherhood and confidence just to name a few themes.
I love how it reminded me of stick-notes because some of the poems are simple, subtle, yet powerful reminders that life is for living. One of such is "When the heart is reluctant, stop and ask it why."

I'll also add that personally it did take my eyes a while to get used to the background and font color and this would be a great experience on paperback, it's just that for digital formats, it took me some time to adjust to it. The artwork, however, I loved.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This is a beautiful collection of poetry and prose; thoughts about God and grace and motherhood and life. Some of the pieces are a sentence, some are as long as a page. They’re lovely and calm and evocative.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet and warm collection of poetry that speaks to that place inside of you that longs for warmth and home.  I enjoyed the way the author mixed poetry and prose to convey bits and pieces of the larger picture.  This collection made me feel cozy while reading it, and spoke to the parts inside me that are focused on motherhood and family.

A collection of beautifully written short prose pieces mixed with longer poems create a unique look into motherhood and creating. I wasn't expecting the underlying spiritual and religious undertones.
They give small moments, snippets of different life experiences. And the small illustrations dotted throughout the collection were a great addition.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This collection of poetry really is a "tangible piece of art." Tess Guinery has an incredible way with words to portray a vast range of emotion. There are numerous quotable lines - one liners that harness motivation and empowerment along with longer stanzas that provoke deep thinking and feelings. The book is a beautiful color and the presence of the rainbow offers a sense of hope and renewal. It becomes a beacon of positivity throughout. The words written within is deep, soulful, and inspiring. It reminded me of John Keats, William Wordsworth, and other poets of the Romanticism era. I cannot wait to see this book published in print on April 13th, 2021. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Sweet little nuggets of wisdom in well-chosen prose. I resonated more with some than others, but those I resonated with filled me with joy, hope, and creative song. Very uplifting and inspiring book; a great choice to keep on your phone or night table to dip into and savour when you need the sweet juice of an apricot in your day.

“Let your heart feel risk; keep it wild”

There is a certain tranquility that came from reading these poems. They are soft and sweeping, and full of life.

Even though I personally didn’t have a strong connection to some of these poems, like the religious themes or motherhood qualities, I still found them to be inspiring and fluid nonetheless. On that same note, the other poems about love, womanhood, self, creativity, etc are all SO poignant. She does a great job of keeping her poems short, but also so meaningful! I really enjoyed them and bookmarked many to reference later.

The book itself is also beautiful. The colors and design are lovely. I highly recommend this for those who want a quick read that also resonates within.

Definitely enjoyed this a lot. Some pieces resonated more than others but what I liked was that in the pieces that were about experiences I couldn't relate to (i.e. motherhood), I still was able to find meaning and depth in her words. I would definitely read more from this poet.

A rich, connective poetry collection. The visual aspect of this book allowed me to more deeply engage with the words. I'm left wanting to print and frame some of these pages! As with all poetry collections, there were some poems that didn't complete resonate for me, and others that profoundly touched upon my experiences (especially in motherhood). Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley!

This book is a gorgeous little series of revelations: like an old book of new wisdom, a bit of magic still in the ink. I love it’s beautiful, descriptive, ethereal language that has some stunning moments of language and heart that I want to remember deeply. Reading these poems feels like a wayward journey to seek answers that questions play around. Deeply spiritual in a way I want to be: in the way you can feel the world around us buzzing with the energy of love - do you see it? It embodies a sense of moving, flowing, being open through it all. Musings on undoing, and the beauty of finding. Searching in awe of the magic of what’s next. What is your now, it asks? What is your now.

I have read other works by Tess Guinery, and I think this one is my favorite thus far. She is so subtle in her approach and so gentle with the execution, you don't release what hits you until the meaning of the words lands.

I also love that her verses don't entirely fill a page, makes it a quick read.

This was truly such a beautiful book and collection of poetry, prose, and art! In short, this book was pure art! I absolutely loved it!

The poem were beautifully and lyrically written. I enjoyed most of the poems and i recommend it to everyone!