What do you think?
Rate this book
Ellipses
After the deaths of her two grandmothers, Andrea MacPherson came to realize that she did not really know their stories, and would not be able to ask them. In Ellipses, her third collection of poetry, the she reimages familiar lore to recreate the lives of these two extraordinary women. Inspired by a trinity of personal events: the deaths of both of MacPherson's grandmothers and the birth of her daughter, Ellipses reclaims the often obscured realities of motherhood, illness and the struggles of these women for independence - in verse. This exploration leads to other marginalized voices in history - including Suzanne Valadon and the models who posed for Bellocq - and their stories. The poems in Ellipses are extractions, explorations and, finally, moments of alternate life experiences that are so often left to the ... of historical record.
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2014
42 people want to read
About the author
Andrea MacPherson
9 books30 followersAndrea MacPherson, poet and novelist, is the author of six books: three novels, What We Once Believed, Beyond the Blue, and When She Was Electric, and three poetry collections, Ellipses, Away, and Natural Disasters. Her poetry has been anthologized in the UK publication, How the Light Gets In.
When She Was Electric was listed No. 6 on CBC Canada Reads: People’s Choice; Natural Disasters was longlisted for the 2008 ReLit Awards. Andrea holds an MFA from the Creative Writing Department at the University of British Columbia, where she was Editor of Prism International. She has also acted as the Reviews Editor for Event Magazine. She teaches Creative Writing and Literature at the University of the Fraser Valley.
When She Was Electric was listed No. 6 on CBC Canada Reads: People’s Choice; Natural Disasters was longlisted for the 2008 ReLit Awards. Andrea holds an MFA from the Creative Writing Department at the University of British Columbia, where she was Editor of Prism International. She has also acted as the Reviews Editor for Event Magazine. She teaches Creative Writing and Literature at the University of the Fraser Valley.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 23, 2014
I received this copy from Goodreads as a winner; although I won this book through a contest, there is no bias just because; 1) its free 2) I'm a dude who doesn't read poetry in general.
Reading this book, there was a lot of imagination to be used while reading. Each poem is a story and the words she used really helps paint the picture of what she is trying to share within this book. Each poem is simple enough to read but difficult to understand at the same time. Many of these poems carry a significant moment in her life as you try to fully understand it. Re-reading the passages a couple of times helps as you try to decipher what she is really trying to share in this book. Worth the investigation to try and understand someone’s life through words. Such poems like “Bed landscape” make you think about everything day things we do and how they change (the poem pretty much goes like how the bed used to be used between her spouse and how it had transformed into a place where a baby plays. Personal everyday things that change in meaning pretty much is what I’m pointing at).
The choice of words down to the title helps the reader understand what she is trying to share in each reading. Without them I would have literally been at a lost. So great part on her for that. Other than it being able to finish the book in a day, it is worth the share to a friend or just experiencing someone’s life through poetry.
I’ve kept this book in my bag for a week and when I can I just peer into it get a self of meaning through someone else’s words.
4/5 really enjoyed reading this.
Reading this book, there was a lot of imagination to be used while reading. Each poem is a story and the words she used really helps paint the picture of what she is trying to share within this book. Each poem is simple enough to read but difficult to understand at the same time. Many of these poems carry a significant moment in her life as you try to fully understand it. Re-reading the passages a couple of times helps as you try to decipher what she is really trying to share in this book. Worth the investigation to try and understand someone’s life through words. Such poems like “Bed landscape” make you think about everything day things we do and how they change (the poem pretty much goes like how the bed used to be used between her spouse and how it had transformed into a place where a baby plays. Personal everyday things that change in meaning pretty much is what I’m pointing at).
The choice of words down to the title helps the reader understand what she is trying to share in each reading. Without them I would have literally been at a lost. So great part on her for that. Other than it being able to finish the book in a day, it is worth the share to a friend or just experiencing someone’s life through poetry.
I’ve kept this book in my bag for a week and when I can I just peer into it get a self of meaning through someone else’s words.
4/5 really enjoyed reading this.
August 24, 2014
I received and am reviewing this book through Goodreads First Reads program.
This collection was so perfectly crafted and pieced together to make a beautiful story. Her compilation is superb- but even more importantly, Andrea MacPherson is also a poetic master if you ask me. I was unsure what to expect from the description and am not usually a huge poetry fan, but I was honestly blown away by this. I'm in my twenties so I may be a bit younger than the target audience, but I completely melted when I read this. I don't want to give too much away but I can tell you that I cried my eyes out reading this and after I finished I had a renewed respect for what it means to be a woman. This spoke to me so much, even with my lack of life experience in terms of losing grandmothers and having my own children. I can't imagine what it would feel to read this again later in my life. Beautiful, just beautiful.
This collection was so perfectly crafted and pieced together to make a beautiful story. Her compilation is superb- but even more importantly, Andrea MacPherson is also a poetic master if you ask me. I was unsure what to expect from the description and am not usually a huge poetry fan, but I was honestly blown away by this. I'm in my twenties so I may be a bit younger than the target audience, but I completely melted when I read this. I don't want to give too much away but I can tell you that I cried my eyes out reading this and after I finished I had a renewed respect for what it means to be a woman. This spoke to me so much, even with my lack of life experience in terms of losing grandmothers and having my own children. I can't imagine what it would feel to read this again later in my life. Beautiful, just beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews