Corpse Beneath the Crocus is a poetry book that beautifully captures the raw emotions of grief and loss. The author's words are powerful and moving, providing readers with a sense of connection and understanding during times of mourning. The poems remind us that it's okay to feel a range of emotions when dealing with loss, from anger and frustration to sadness and despair. The imagery used in the book is vivid and poignant, painting a picture of the pain and suffering that often accompanies death. Overall, Corpse Beneath the Crocus is a must-read for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one and is looking for comfort and solace in the written word.

Having recently experienced sudden loss and the isolating sensation of immense grief, there were many elements of this poetry book that I could really resonate with. The way the poet describes grief as an entirely encompassing experience and yet one has no choice but to carry on with the mundanity that is day-to-day life was very powerful and moving. As to be expected with all poetry books, there were some that were better than others, and there were some that, to me, felt so convoluted that all sense was lost. I believe this is a hard line to balance with poetry, but for the most part the poems have a driving force behind them that is easy to grasp. I also appreciated that I could feel the influences of some of my favourite poets - for example, Keats' nightingale made an appearance, and Plath's sense of performing her own life to a paying crowd also cropped up. These are poets that I read to help me understand my grief and deepest emotions, so the homage to them really resonated with me. On the whole, I think this is a well constructed set of poems that have a united message, even if some of them run a little wide of the mark.

This is a book full of poems that had so many cool ones that I particularly liked and wow so cool these are my kind of poems I'll tell you that and this one will keep you reading to the very end it was a great book of poems thank you for letting me read this 1 in advance loved it.

Also loved the name of the book it was just intriguing...

This book was very helpful and insightful. I would highly recommend for my family and friends that experience death to assure them they are not alone. This book was very powerful to my on my person loss within the past few years of loss and COVID.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sending me and allowing me to read this collection of poems.
I would say I enjoyed most of this book but not all. I didn't really connect with most of the poems but even some of those were still good.

These poems were so well written. They were pretty words, but they didn’t say much about anything. The formatting of this arc copy was also difficult to read.

If I could give the poetry collection Corpse Beneath the Crocus more than 5 stars, I would. It’s deserving of so much more. This is heavy stuff. If you have ever lost anyone, you know. You can feel these poems physically, in your body. (Or at least I could). The words in here are utterly profound. The book left me dumbfounded, having to put the book down just to process what I read.

This is the story of a wife and mother who has lost her husband and must figure out how to carry on for her self and her children. It details all the emotions you cycle through and how grief is a daily thing, almost like a physical pain in the body, or a parasite. How, after a loss, you sometimes can’t recognize your life or self without that person. The author even talks about the financial burdens that can come, and putting aside your own beauty and sexuality.

Pain, we come to understand, can be transformative (see book title).

I loved the line from “Lopsided Sanity” that says “I’m haunted/ By the ghost of the future I wanted.” (57).

Also, there were at least two poems, “Twat” and “Bizarre Mind,” that read like rap music in my head, they had that lyricism and pacing.

This book is not easy. The emotions of grief can be both acute and lingering. And though we may not want to approach these emotions, Corpse Beneath the Crocus makes the process of confronting loss less lonely and isolating.

My thanks to NetGalley, Atmosphere Press, and NN Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this work.

Corpse Beneath the Crocus by N.N. Nelson is a raw and unfiltered journey through the unbearable grief of losing a loved one. These are words that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the gamut of emotions that are brought to the surface as we move through the darkness. It is a collection that will have you feeling Nelson's deep and unending pain, but will also force you to confront the agony that resides in the deepest recesses of your soul as you acknowledge the finality of the life-altering state of loss. Recommended. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for an ARC.

🔆 corpse beneath the crocus by N. N. Nelson 🔆

I feel like a terrible person getting enjoyment from this collection of poems. The grief that saturates each page was terrible but so cleverly written I couldn’t stop reading.

Favourites —> panic attack, treasure hunter, I am not her anymore, memory

⭐️favourite lines⭐️

“Poetry is sifting through a sandy pile of feelings…” - treasure hunter

“Growth begins with change and pain is the price of moving forward.” - growth is pain

4/5 would definitely recommend!

Thank you #NetGalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review. Because it’s an arc the above quotes may be subject to change.

As a whole I definitely believe that N N Nelson has a lot of potential. There are moments when you're very sure that they have a lot to offer, However, as a whole this collection didn't suck me in and I kept wanting to give up.

I'll check out more by this writer in the future, but for now this wasn't it.

This collection is a breath of fresh air and familiarity. It made me feel at home and heard. Reading it brought me warmth.

You can truly feel what the author is trying to convey. I caught myself a couple times getting emotionally connected without expecting to.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I think this is a great poetry debut and I feel like I was in the mind of the author at times. I was feeling like there was some dragging at points and I didn't enjoy a number of poems much but there was nothing I hated. A few of the poems I really enjoyed, maybe even loved. Marionette and Pandora's Box were my personal favorites of this collection and I think a lot of people who have struggled with especially grief, loss, and/or parenthood would really enjoy this. I would definitely be willing to pick up more from this author and love their choice of cover here along with the title!

Disclaimer: I was given an arc digital copy of this by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful collection of poetry. I loved Rage, Pandora's Box, Love Letter, and Shit - they were my favorite pieces in this collection. You can feel the emotion and transition in emotion as the collection progress. My guts twisted and I got choked up a few times. There were two moments that really stuck with me, even after reading.

"Purposefully To listen as a chorus of stars/Sings in solid bones/Connecting flesh and spirit to the music/Of space much less lonely than it sounds/Stars like breadcrumbs/For hungry souls to find"

"reject the definition of failure tattooed on my forehead/That was me, a moment ago in my last though/But I am not her anymore/A lot can happen in the space of breath and in this brief pause I choose to accept my imperfect humanity"

Beautiful.

📚 #NetGalley ARC review 📚

Title: Corpse Beneath The Crocus
Author: N.N. Nelson
Release date: 15/02/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the chance to read this poetry ARC ahead of its release later this year.

How do you review the product of someone's grief? It feels cruel and dismissive to apply a star rating to the written embodiment of a person's pain. Even if I was a over-qualified poetry expert I'd feel uncomfortable offering even the tiniest piece of criticism, constructive or otherwise.

But I was given a copy for the purpose of reviewing, so that's what I must do. All I can do is talk about how Corpse Beneath The Crocus made me feel, not about anything technical or otherwise.

I'll be honest, some of the poems just didn't 'land' for me. However, I'm not a parent, and I'm fortunate enough to have not yet experienced grief of this level, which could well be reasons why I simply couldn't relate to some. But others I could - the ones that talk more about (or directly to) the lost person and the relationship (September 27th, Love Letter, Twat, for example), rather than the more abstract entries. I have a pretty vivid imagination so I could all too easily imagine myself in that position, and wow it really hurt. So much so that it actually scared me a little - I'm prone to catastrophising as it is, and this had me worrying even more about losing loved ones.

I don't hold that against the poems though, far from it. I'd *much* rather feel something from them - even something painful - than be unmoved. Along with making me fearful, they also made me feel grateful for what I have, which is a real gift.

Overall, I liked Corpse Beneath The Crocus - please don't take my star rating as being a criticism of the poet's skill or the subject matter. The feeling it left me with will stick for a long time.

3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

N.N Nelson debuts with a collection of poems that are centered around the topical issue of grief, and her personal experiences with it. As a poet, she poured her heart into her work, providing her readers with the most raw and vulnerable sides of herself, while linking her pain with her life as it moves forward. Words cannot express how personal this collection is to the poet, and her strength in being able to share her despair with the world is strongly recognized by readers and reviewers alike.

This is the kind of writing that reminds me of why I fell in love with poetry. As someone who has been faced with grief and loss, I personally connected with Nelson's work in the most intimate of ways and every poem left me with a shuddering feeling in my heart. I could feel her emotions through the pages and it was as though every word that she wrote gave me a piercing look into her mind which is shrouded with darkness and a beam of light. The beam of light from her child's smile, and the beam of light that erupts from her poetry. Her knowledge on free-verse and rhythmic patterns made this poetry collection seem polished and professional, especially when dealing with such deep topics such as this.

Overall, I fell in love with Nelson's writing and I desperately connect with this poetry collection on so many levels. I truly reflected on my own life in the most personal ways and it is all because of this poetry collection. I am utterly grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an opportunity to read this tragic masterpiece.

As someone who's had a lot of loss in life and experienced a lot of grief, I was drawn to this poetry collection. I love poetry, especially poetry on the more negative side. I thought my heart would shatter and I would be able to massively relate, but I didn't feel the connection I was hoping for, unfortunately.

*I received a copy of this book as an ARC for review

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The concept of poetry centering around grief was something I was excited about but this didn't meet my expectations. Granted, I haven't read poetry in a while so maybe I'm a bit out of touch.

Some of the poems in this book were written remarkably well and the descriptions cut deep to your core as a person, others felt incredibly surface level. Overall, I'm not upset I took the time to read this, but I do wish it was edited a bit better.

These poems are beautiful, raw, emotional, and thoughtfully arranged.

Excerpt from the poem Ocean:

Grief
Is adrift in the unknown
The burning light of an absent soul
A beacon on the prow
Of a quaking vessel
Hope to guide
Survivors safely home

Expected Publication: 15 Feb 2023

Thanks a million to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. Quotes are subject to change upon publication.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this poetry collection. I’m new to reading poetry, but I find the writing absolutely stunning.