I’m very pleased to read this smart review of THIS ANGEL ON
MY CHEST in The Potomac Journal, a
journal of poetry & politics. I’ve heard of writers who claim not to read
their reviews—an impressive feat, if true—but I’m too nosy not to. Writing
thoughtful reviews is hard work, and I appreciate when one hits the mark, as
this one does. No, not just because the reviewer says nice things! But because
the reviewer seemed to me to “get” what the book was trying to do and be, and
that is always exciting for any writer, to feel the reader understands.
Also, I will have to confess that I like this last paragraph
a lot, even with its criticism:
This Angel on My Chest is a really impressive piece of work, viewing a core event as through a prism, an ingenious concept for a book and fully deserving of any prize out there that recognizes literary brilliance. If I have any criticism at all, it's that the book is a little too tour–de–force–y. Stories like "What I Could Buy" and "Chapter Ten: an Index of Food (Draft)" seem too clever, written in service of the general theme. If it weren't for the bedrock existential seriousness of the subject, one might accuse Pietrzyk of being too clever at times in trying to balance irony and sincerity. But in the end I think she pulls it off. This is serious work.
Read the rest here: http://bit.ly/1SIxZtQ