I want to start out by saying I don’t think this is a poetry collection intended for me. I was definitely left with the impression that this is an anthology aimed at an older audience, as it centres on moments of parenthood, aging, long marriages and domestic life.

However, something that I did really appreciate with the nudge to think more. I often find poetry very easy to skim, but by including regular reflective moments and journal prompts, I felt much more inclined to take my time and consider how each theme comes up in my own life.

I would definitely recommend it, but probably to my older family members rather than my peers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book to review.
I really wanted to like this, and I really do. Like with a lot of poetry compilations, there was a pretty wide variety of poetry here, some hit for me, and some missed. I did like the interspersed essays, and I love the idea of this book. Perhaps it would be a better read if one dipped in and out of it instead of reading it straight through like I did. But there is really no way to have too many books on kindness in the present day, and I like the idea of exploring kindness through poetry.

A gentle hug of a collection. Very readable and thought-provoking and the notes were just so lovely. Just the thing for the times we live in. A beautiful book.

while i enjoyed this book, i do feel that a lot of the poems were hit and miss. when i think of a collection of poems, i would assume i would pile together my greatest works. the consistency of quality with some of these poems was poor. however, there were some gems in this book that i just adored, and keep coming back to.

Over the last year I have really got into poetry, so was very happy to be given an ARC of this poetry anthology. I was drawn to the premise of this collection; exploring themes of everyday living, and kindness. Unfortunately this was not for me. I knew going into this that I was not going to love everything in here as it is an anthology and people's writing styles naturally differ. I struggled to connect to the poems, and I felt the collection was jumbled. I liked the idea of Journal prompts, and poetry analysis, but I felt this maybe could be at the end of the anthology, as it was jarring to read right after finishing a poem. Overall, this is not a bad collection of poems, It just lacked something for me.

I love poetry and kindness and was excited by the premise of this book. The dicreprancy in the quality of the poems made this read far less enjoyable than I expected. Some poems are definitely keepers, while many are just forgettable.

I hate giving poetry lower than 3 stars because it usually isn’t supposed to appeal to a wide audience, but a specific one. I’m giving this three stars, but I think it’s important to remember that poetry is a lot easier to criticize than novels, especially since one person can like something a lot more than another. On top of that, reviewing poetry anthologies can be complicated sometimes, because it is hard to judge an entire book by the content of so many different authors.

The cover is appealing and there are a few select poems that stand out from the rest, but overall a majority of these poems and essays fell flat for me. Plus, I’m not a big fan of the “reflective pause” sections and found them unnecessary.

Note: Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review! Please note that all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I really liked the premise, the cover, and some of the poems, but overall the whole collection just fell flat for me.
I didn't connect with many of the poems and the subjects they were on were all over the place and very very fluffy.

It is very hard to review an anthology of poems. There are always going to be some of the poems that don’t appeal or that we don’t connect with. As the reader we are reliant on our tastes and preferences matching up with those of the editor of the anthology. If they do not it can be hard to enjoy the volume.

Unfortunately, in this instance, this is what happened to me. The poems in this anthology are, mostly, not to my taste. I felt many of them just ended, hanging in midair. I turned the page expecting more but no. I personally like my poems to conclude, to take me somewhere. I also felt the poems were very American in subject and context, which is fine if you like that sort of thing but I don’t.

There were some poems in the anthology that I did enjoy such as 'The Summer You Learned to Swim' by Michael Simms, 'My Father’s Hands' by Zeina Azzam, 'Vain Doubts' by Julia Alvarez and 'The Raincoat' by Ada Limon. I also enjoyed the reflective pauses and the invitations for writing and reflection. The foreword by Danusha Lameris and introduction by James Crews were a lovely read and perhaps set my expectations too high for the rest of the book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for providing an advance review copy of the book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I love reading poetry, and the title (and cover) both piqued my interest. After all, the world needs a little more kindness and I looked forward to taking the journey along this 'path'.

However, too many of the works included in this collection were more like an assortment of reassembled or reformatted prose. Is this the ‘path’ down which we are headed? Heaven forbid.

There were some genuinely beautiful pieces but not enough to redeem it in my eyes.

My thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a collection of poetry by various authors, with a little reflection and writing prompt about one of the poems showing up throughout the book. I appreciated these pauses for reflection. The end also included discussion questions about the poems. For this reason it might be nice to read as a group (in a book club, for example) and talk about some of the poems liked or disliked. For me personally only a few of the many poems resonated with me; I found most of the poems forgettable. But while it didn't have a wow factor for me, it was otherwise a nice book of poems revolving around very calming themes such as gardening, nature, simplicity, or love.

The Path to Kindness is a collection of poems by James Crews on kindness.
I love the concept of this poetry and essays on kindness and having connections with other people

Truth is that I prefer poetry that has a bit of depth and covers larger themes, so this was a bit overly sweet and positive for me (which of course isn't a bad thing if that's the kind of poetry you enjoy.

The foreword was probably one of the best ones I've read recently with its personal tone that created an instant emotional connection. The chapter "The Practice of Connection" by James Crews that follows the foreword was also emotional and beautiful. In addition, I enjoyed the reflective pauses after some of the poems that also included an invitation for writing and reflection. Probably including a space in the end of the book for these writing reflections would be a great addition.

This collection includes a variety of poems from a lot of different poets; themes include family, parenting, loss, love, nature, love, dogs, etc. The poems that I loved the most were "My Father's Hands" by Zeina Azzam, "When you meet someone deep in grief" by Patricia McKernon Runkle, and "Ladder" by Phyllis Cole-Dai.

I loved the idea of all these short essays but I didn't think the execution was perfect. I do think it's worth the read if this is what you're into.

I really liked the premise of this collection, in the aspect that each poem is writing by a different author with their own aspect to give around the generalised topics. However, I was quite frankly bored with the majority of these poems. The themes were all unique, which can be great if it's well done, but I just felt confused and baffled because they were all so different, which made me feel disconnected from the collection.

Rated: 2 stars

Thought provoking, meaningful poems. I really enjoyed most of them. I had a few moments of realisation while reading a few. Though with some of them I did not connect, but overall it was a good read.

Readers may be drawn to this collection by both its title and the book’s cover. Those who enjoyed the first collection curated by Mr. Crews, How to Love the World, will welcome this second compilation.

Many of the entries in this book are about every day life. For example, there is Angela Narciso Torres who writes about a Chore. A brief quote:

My friend turns everything into prayer. Sweeping the leaves, shaving his beard, washing dishes-

The editor reflects on this poem and how it “teaches us to transform ordinary tasks of our lives into generosity.” If a reader is drawn in by this perspective, they should give this book a look.

Some of the more well-known contributors to this book include Julia Alvarez and Ross Gay. Most of the writers were not previously known to me however.

Along with the poems, there are sections called “Reflective Pauses.” These give context to some of the entries and invite a bit of contemplation on the reader’s part.

This book is a generous compendium. About 100 poems are included here.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Ever since discovering my love for reading, I have also discovered my love for poetry and how beautifully worded poems can be while still conveying a powerful message. I was drawn to this book because of the variety of voices it displayed, as well as the stunning cover. Upon opening the book and reading its contents, I felt the poems inside were structured differently, and that could be from the format of the ARC, and I am simply not receiving them in the correct form, but it takes away some of my enjoyment of reading them. However, I found the reflective pause sections to be interesting as I have not seen many poetry books give writing and reflection prompts.

I just need to realise poetry ain't for me but I've found some beautiful verses in this book that I'm gonna keep in mind.

The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy is a positive little collection, and I found myself getting excited to go back to it, as I was making way through.

Sprinkled throughout are prompts and questions to allow the reader to reflect on the impact that the pieces are having, and is truly trying to help the reader on the Path to Kindness.