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Mad Woman
Author of Learning to Speak, Kat Savage, returns with Mad Woman whish is comprised of 40 pieces that capture her stream on conscious, her confessions, and her strange thoughts. In Mad Woman, she bears it all and embraces her madness driven by loneliness and disappointment.
- GenresPoetry
60 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
About the author
Kat Savage
40 books632 followersKat Savage’s unique brand of storytelling combines some of her own truths with a little bit of fiction to connect to people in a very real way. She writes about ugly things authentically and shamelessly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
March 19, 2016
I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review:
I went into this with an open mind, very excited for what it contained. The title alone had me excited to feel: Mad Woman. While the content is blunt, unreserved, and clearly personal, I feel it lacks something crucial. Some of these pieces are intimate, others angry, but overall it’s missing that one thing that makes a piece memorable, none of them leave any impression. Poetry, as I understand it, is subjective to an extent. In the end, it’s the author’s piece and he/she had a specific message to relay, and I just couldn’t get it here. A lot of these pieces are filled with clichés phrases like “Nails on a chalkboard” or “my ears will bleed” and “I eat wolves for breakfast” I admire the writers passion and can respect her pain. I wish she could condense her pieces. Maybe re read them, think about how you can leave a bigger/better impact. Instead of telling me in detail how and why you feel so hurt or betrayed or damaged, tell me instead in small, powerful, and meaningful words. Give me an image to keep in my mind or a single line that will tell me what the entire piece really means. For example, in one of the pieces, the speaker says about truth, “it’s both foreign and home on my tongue.” This is one of my favorite lines of the book, it left me craving more and it hits me in the gut in a way I can understand it and keep the feeling it with me. However, I don’t feel it fits very well with the poem overall (When I Ramble About Love It Makes Sense). Like the rest of
the poem it is random and every stanza is about something else, confusing me. In this piece, like many others, there is a lack of punctuation/enjambment and in this particular piece it works. Not just because of the title but because it forces me to read through without a break. In other pieces the lack of punctuation confuses me because when I read the poem out loud the emphasis seems to either be missing or it is in the wrong place. There is another piece called “Monster” where the speaker mentions Frankenstein and other “monsters” she’s dated- the reason I find this confusing is because when I read into it, try to find the depth, I can’t. If I try to take it at face value, not look into it too much, it feels forced and incomplete. The art in between the pages I actually do like. It seems to relay the emotion we will be reading about next. Overall, I enjoyed the book but in my
opinion it is lacking. I re read it, and then read them out loud but it didn’t work for me. I am not sure what kind of audience I would recommend this too because anyone who enjoys poetry as much as I do, I think would have the same to say. But then again everyone is different, and as subjective as poetry can be, someone else may take it completely different than I did.
I went into this with an open mind, very excited for what it contained. The title alone had me excited to feel: Mad Woman. While the content is blunt, unreserved, and clearly personal, I feel it lacks something crucial. Some of these pieces are intimate, others angry, but overall it’s missing that one thing that makes a piece memorable, none of them leave any impression. Poetry, as I understand it, is subjective to an extent. In the end, it’s the author’s piece and he/she had a specific message to relay, and I just couldn’t get it here. A lot of these pieces are filled with clichés phrases like “Nails on a chalkboard” or “my ears will bleed” and “I eat wolves for breakfast” I admire the writers passion and can respect her pain. I wish she could condense her pieces. Maybe re read them, think about how you can leave a bigger/better impact. Instead of telling me in detail how and why you feel so hurt or betrayed or damaged, tell me instead in small, powerful, and meaningful words. Give me an image to keep in my mind or a single line that will tell me what the entire piece really means. For example, in one of the pieces, the speaker says about truth, “it’s both foreign and home on my tongue.” This is one of my favorite lines of the book, it left me craving more and it hits me in the gut in a way I can understand it and keep the feeling it with me. However, I don’t feel it fits very well with the poem overall (When I Ramble About Love It Makes Sense). Like the rest of
the poem it is random and every stanza is about something else, confusing me. In this piece, like many others, there is a lack of punctuation/enjambment and in this particular piece it works. Not just because of the title but because it forces me to read through without a break. In other pieces the lack of punctuation confuses me because when I read the poem out loud the emphasis seems to either be missing or it is in the wrong place. There is another piece called “Monster” where the speaker mentions Frankenstein and other “monsters” she’s dated- the reason I find this confusing is because when I read into it, try to find the depth, I can’t. If I try to take it at face value, not look into it too much, it feels forced and incomplete. The art in between the pages I actually do like. It seems to relay the emotion we will be reading about next. Overall, I enjoyed the book but in my
opinion it is lacking. I re read it, and then read them out loud but it didn’t work for me. I am not sure what kind of audience I would recommend this too because anyone who enjoys poetry as much as I do, I think would have the same to say. But then again everyone is different, and as subjective as poetry can be, someone else may take it completely different than I did.
May 18, 2017
So heartbreakingly honest.
My favorite line: "When you strip yourself of something people expect, of something they have decided is who you are, you become truly free."
My favorite line: "When you strip yourself of something people expect, of something they have decided is who you are, you become truly free."
April 7, 2016
Because this is a poetry book, I'll do my review in verse. So here it goes:
I had found this book
Interesting
Because I had
Judged it by the cover.
Yes, I am ashamed.
Yes, I am shallow
Sometimes.
I bought it
And now I read it.
I didn't love it
But I liked it.
It is what it is.
Kat Savage's confessions of a life
She hides or shows
Or dislikes in plain sight.
It's her fears and her faults
It's her failures and her hurts
And I like it when people
Go full out and they demonstrate
That to be a good person is more than just doing things the right way
It's getting it wrong sometimes but getting it right by admitting and teaching
The next people not to get it wrong themselves.
So I liked the book
In which case I can consider that I myself am a
Mad Woman.
I had found this book
Interesting
Because I had
Judged it by the cover.
Yes, I am ashamed.
Yes, I am shallow
Sometimes.
I bought it
And now I read it.
I didn't love it
But I liked it.
It is what it is.
Kat Savage's confessions of a life
She hides or shows
Or dislikes in plain sight.
It's her fears and her faults
It's her failures and her hurts
And I like it when people
Go full out and they demonstrate
That to be a good person is more than just doing things the right way
It's getting it wrong sometimes but getting it right by admitting and teaching
The next people not to get it wrong themselves.
So I liked the book
In which case I can consider that I myself am a
Mad Woman.
March 11, 2016
You'll pick up this book not knowing Kat Savage. You'll finish it. Exhale deeply, close the cover slowly, and you'll know Kat Savage. You'll know parts of another woman we all keep hidden from everyone else. Even sometimes ourselves.
We all have insecurities, fears, successes, failures, complications, families, love, loss. All of us know those things on one level or another, but most of us don't tell a soul about those things that lie at the depths of who we are.
Kat does. Not just for herself but for all of us mad women and she does it in a way that is harsh but delicate, raw and beautiful, and suddenly you realize we're all okay, no matter how mad we are.
We all have insecurities, fears, successes, failures, complications, families, love, loss. All of us know those things on one level or another, but most of us don't tell a soul about those things that lie at the depths of who we are.
Kat does. Not just for herself but for all of us mad women and she does it in a way that is harsh but delicate, raw and beautiful, and suddenly you realize we're all okay, no matter how mad we are.
September 18, 2017
wow i'm just speechless. i'm emotional and this book is just amazing.
March 24, 2016
***ARC provided by Kat Savage in exchange for an honest review.***
It’s definitely been a while since I sat down and read someone else’s poetry, and I’m glad I took a chance on Kat Savage. I had been following her on Instagram for a while now, enjoying everything she’s put up so far. Suffice it to say, this collection did not disappoint.
I have always been fascinated by poets who have the guts to put themselves completely out there all vulnerable and open to criticism. There’s something about poetry that feels a little more personal than any other form of Literature. Don’t get me wrong — hard work is hard work, and any piece created for The Arts will always come to some sort of criticism. But poetry doesn’t work at all when the writer’s emotions aren’t fully invested. There are great story-tellers. And then, there are great poets. They hide truths in similes and metaphors, in vivid images and obscure ideas, but in the end, everything is out in the open.
I could not bring myself to write a review right after reading Mad Woman at first pass. I had to sit and read it over and over again, and savor all the words, all the images, and all the emotions. As an aspiring poet myself, I found myself making all sorts of noises at how certain moments were written out. If you’ve ever sat through a poetry slam and seen/heard the audience snapping fingers and moaning in pleasure, you’ll understand what I mean. Heck, I thought that was always a stupid gesture, and yet, I found myself doing the exact same thing. It was just THAT GOOD.
There’s nothing pretentious about Kat Savage’s poetry. She writes without flowery words, but with strong images that drive her point home. There are no words wasted in this book. When she says in the introduction that she decided to write for herself, what she didn’t realize was that she was writing for every woman who has ever gone mad at one point or another. Love, in whichever form it comes, and as beautiful as it is when it’s good, can be ugly and maddening at times as well. And yet, Kat Savage successfully spins that madness into something equally beautiful.
This is probably one of the most difficult reviews I’ve written because this book hits right home. I would love to quote a few lines, but to write them down out of context won’t do her any justice. Pick up a copy. You won’t regret it.
There is a mad woman in each of us, and Kat Savage is our voice.
It’s definitely been a while since I sat down and read someone else’s poetry, and I’m glad I took a chance on Kat Savage. I had been following her on Instagram for a while now, enjoying everything she’s put up so far. Suffice it to say, this collection did not disappoint.
I have always been fascinated by poets who have the guts to put themselves completely out there all vulnerable and open to criticism. There’s something about poetry that feels a little more personal than any other form of Literature. Don’t get me wrong — hard work is hard work, and any piece created for The Arts will always come to some sort of criticism. But poetry doesn’t work at all when the writer’s emotions aren’t fully invested. There are great story-tellers. And then, there are great poets. They hide truths in similes and metaphors, in vivid images and obscure ideas, but in the end, everything is out in the open.
I could not bring myself to write a review right after reading Mad Woman at first pass. I had to sit and read it over and over again, and savor all the words, all the images, and all the emotions. As an aspiring poet myself, I found myself making all sorts of noises at how certain moments were written out. If you’ve ever sat through a poetry slam and seen/heard the audience snapping fingers and moaning in pleasure, you’ll understand what I mean. Heck, I thought that was always a stupid gesture, and yet, I found myself doing the exact same thing. It was just THAT GOOD.
There’s nothing pretentious about Kat Savage’s poetry. She writes without flowery words, but with strong images that drive her point home. There are no words wasted in this book. When she says in the introduction that she decided to write for herself, what she didn’t realize was that she was writing for every woman who has ever gone mad at one point or another. Love, in whichever form it comes, and as beautiful as it is when it’s good, can be ugly and maddening at times as well. And yet, Kat Savage successfully spins that madness into something equally beautiful.
This is probably one of the most difficult reviews I’ve written because this book hits right home. I would love to quote a few lines, but to write them down out of context won’t do her any justice. Pick up a copy. You won’t regret it.
There is a mad woman in each of us, and Kat Savage is our voice.
August 15, 2017
Kat Savage is a poet. Many releasing poetry these days can't say that. Not only is she a poet, but she is an artist. She designs her own covers (she didn't draw this cover though, but did the layout) and, if you own her latest book THIS IS HOW I DIE, includes her own drawings within the pages as well. Full aesthetic experience. Kat Savage takes the time to move her books - not just the writing but the book as a whole - to the next level.
April 16, 2019
‘Maybe I’m just jaded. I look back on yesterday’s when I gave more than I should’ve and wonder where all the love songs have gone.’
Ah, I’m becoming such a fan of Kat Savage’s poetry. Takes me back to scribbling angsts as hell love poem and prose full of heartbreak into the pages of composition notebooks. Love.
Ah, I’m becoming such a fan of Kat Savage’s poetry. Takes me back to scribbling angsts as hell love poem and prose full of heartbreak into the pages of composition notebooks. Love.
February 8, 2018
"you can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness." And i think thats mostly true"
June 30, 2022
I picked this book up thinking it would be about mad, angry feminist women, which is how many of us feel this week. However, the poems are more about relationships, life, depression, and feeling 'mad' and unstable. That's on me for misunderstanding what I was getting into. Once I got over my expectations I was able to enjoy the poems for what they were.
March 12, 2016
Kat Savage presents several different narratives, situations and characters that are equally as heartbreaking, and at the same time insightfully wise throughout the books progression, each feeling as if it builds upon each other to build an almost coming-of-age narrative of a 'Mad Woman'. Poetry is meant to be from the heart, more from the heart than it is from the mind (my personal opinion) and so much of what we read is exactly that, the emotion is ever present. From bad relationships, to insecurities, to bereavement, it is a heartfelt collection of confessions and reflections.
My only issue with Mad Woman, and it isn't a big one, is that some of the poetry seems almost lacking in something, not all but a few feel as if they could be extended, as if it is part of something bigger but has been cut down too much. At points its largely descriptive and well written metaphors come to an end that feels a little abrupt. Sometimes it works as an intentional poetic device, but for the more personal and almost endearing poems I really longed for more, which can only be a compliment.
My only issue with Mad Woman, and it isn't a big one, is that some of the poetry seems almost lacking in something, not all but a few feel as if they could be extended, as if it is part of something bigger but has been cut down too much. At points its largely descriptive and well written metaphors come to an end that feels a little abrupt. Sometimes it works as an intentional poetic device, but for the more personal and almost endearing poems I really longed for more, which can only be a compliment.
November 25, 2016
I am a mad woman. We all are, you just don't know it yet. We all have that side that is hidden in the innermost part within us. We may not be aware of its existence, but it's there. Kat Savage managed to bring out that mad side within me.
Numerous themes were explored in this book. There were pieces that talked about grief, abuse, love and so much more. So if you're looking for a poetry book that focuses on one theme only, then you might as well look for another one. What I liked in this book was how blunt it was. The author didn't glossed over her words in her poems and that's why it will really resonates with you.
As much as I liked the bluntness of this one, I also disliked it at the same time. I know, I'm contrasting myself. But I think it's just too blunt for me. I'm no prude but some pieces were a bit sexual for me. And structure-wise, it's not that great.
Mad Woman shows the struggles that we, especially women, face in our day to day life. Kat Savage managed to convey the message in her poems in an explicit and raw manner. I'll definitely read her other works!
Numerous themes were explored in this book. There were pieces that talked about grief, abuse, love and so much more. So if you're looking for a poetry book that focuses on one theme only, then you might as well look for another one. What I liked in this book was how blunt it was. The author didn't glossed over her words in her poems and that's why it will really resonates with you.
As much as I liked the bluntness of this one, I also disliked it at the same time. I know, I'm contrasting myself. But I think it's just too blunt for me. I'm no prude but some pieces were a bit sexual for me. And structure-wise, it's not that great.
Mad Woman shows the struggles that we, especially women, face in our day to day life. Kat Savage managed to convey the message in her poems in an explicit and raw manner. I'll definitely read her other works!
January 14, 2018
Emotional and rather deep. I liked this one.
Favourite Poem:
Always Wander, Always Wonder
I pulled my feet across the pavement about as gracefully as a woman feeling terribly aware of her own lack of direction could manage.
I remembered a time when going nowhere was quite all right and even quietly encouraged.
“Take your time,” they said. “Don’t rush it,” they warned.
And so, I didn’t.
But I found the years creep up and if you go nowhere for too long, you will be going nowhere forever, or at least it will feel that way.
I have learned that it’s perfectly okay to wander so long as you never stop wondering. You will need it when you finally rest.
Everyone will have questions.
And you,
you will have the answers.
Favourite Poem:
Always Wander, Always Wonder
I pulled my feet across the pavement about as gracefully as a woman feeling terribly aware of her own lack of direction could manage.
I remembered a time when going nowhere was quite all right and even quietly encouraged.
“Take your time,” they said. “Don’t rush it,” they warned.
And so, I didn’t.
But I found the years creep up and if you go nowhere for too long, you will be going nowhere forever, or at least it will feel that way.
I have learned that it’s perfectly okay to wander so long as you never stop wondering. You will need it when you finally rest.
Everyone will have questions.
And you,
you will have the answers.
March 9, 2020
TWs: Emotional abuse, fatphobia
This collection is about love, relationships, sexism, and lived experiences as women. As with a lot of poetry anthologies I've read, some of the poems really hit the mark but others are a little lacking. I found the longer poems had more impact and told more of a story, whereas the shorter poems weren't long enough for me to get into.
I really liked some of Kat Savage's metaphors, but her writing style didn't really blow me away. Having said that, the intimate way she narrates her emotions makes her voice stand out. This was a solid collection, but lacking in a little bit of punch and power; I'm not sure I'll remember many of the poems in a year's time.
This collection is about love, relationships, sexism, and lived experiences as women. As with a lot of poetry anthologies I've read, some of the poems really hit the mark but others are a little lacking. I found the longer poems had more impact and told more of a story, whereas the shorter poems weren't long enough for me to get into.
I really liked some of Kat Savage's metaphors, but her writing style didn't really blow me away. Having said that, the intimate way she narrates her emotions makes her voice stand out. This was a solid collection, but lacking in a little bit of punch and power; I'm not sure I'll remember many of the poems in a year's time.
June 27, 2017
I enjoyed the writing style in this one and the occasional piece of art placed throughout. I always feel like I would understand these types of books more if I had experience being in love. This isn't a happy collection of poems, they're sad and I can only kinda relate to a few of them, which I think is a good thing. But they're still really good and I'll probably look to see if she has another collection out.
December 12, 2020
This book came into my possession because the book title resembled a taylor swift song and the author shares my first name.
When I spent a summer as a camp counselor, we were trained to tell the campers to change their rhetoric when making observations on nature walks. Instead of saying something is weird, gross, or ugly, we told them to say “hey, that’s...interesting.”
This poetry collection was...interesting.
When I spent a summer as a camp counselor, we were trained to tell the campers to change their rhetoric when making observations on nature walks. Instead of saying something is weird, gross, or ugly, we told them to say “hey, that’s...interesting.”
This poetry collection was...interesting.
August 28, 2016
There were a lot of poems in this book I could relate to. It was like it came straight out of me. Some were emotional and they really moved me. They were pretty intense.
January 6, 2017
Tiene algunas frases interesantes
Pero en general se me hizo muy lineal y un tanto depresiva, me dio la impresión de que la autora se odia así misma.
Pero en general se me hizo muy lineal y un tanto depresiva, me dio la impresión de que la autora se odia así misma.
February 20, 2018
Holy shit if there were ever a more relevant collection of poems to my aching heart I wouldn’t believe it. From start to finish Kat’s words slayed me. I knew I loved her before, but she just earned a fan for life.
January 20, 2022
i think that makes me crazy
Mad woman⭐️
“Im not sure i have the strength to see you anymore”
“I think that makes me crazy. Maybe it does”
Kat Savage is quickly becoming my favorite poetry author.
Mad woman⭐️
“Im not sure i have the strength to see you anymore”
“I think that makes me crazy. Maybe it does”
Kat Savage is quickly becoming my favorite poetry author.
August 8, 2017
Honest, painful, personal, heartbreaking. This book is sooooo sad.
June 12, 2018
I absolutely loved this. The poetry and random thoughts/stories were sometimes weird and relateable. Plus the cover is gorgeous.
August 28, 2016
I have been following Kat Savage on Instagram for a while, and her words are perfectly blunt, raw, and honest. I had to bag myself a copy of Mad Woman during a free promotion on Amazon Kindle, and I was not disappointed.
Savage pours out her heart and feelings in 40 beautifully crafted poems that perfectly capture her mindset whilst writing each piece. I felt her pain, love, and loss, and feel I know Kat Savage a little more from reading her poetry, and that's how it should be.
Poetry is subjective, and I find it hard to read a poetry anthology and enjoy all the poems in their own right, but this book is different. Savage has bled into every poem, and it is rare to find a poet who lays themselves so completely bare.
Savage pours out her heart and feelings in 40 beautifully crafted poems that perfectly capture her mindset whilst writing each piece. I felt her pain, love, and loss, and feel I know Kat Savage a little more from reading her poetry, and that's how it should be.
Poetry is subjective, and I find it hard to read a poetry anthology and enjoy all the poems in their own right, but this book is different. Savage has bled into every poem, and it is rare to find a poet who lays themselves so completely bare.
March 9, 2016
Seriously... This woman's writing is AH-MAY-ZING!!!!!! Probably more so because I can relate to just about every poem written. She has a way with words. They wrap so tight yet gently around your heart, breaking it in pieces and lovingly put back together. I could have read a "novel"'s worth of her words. PICK THIS UP AND READ IMMEDIATELY, you won't be disappointed and if you are, too bad, I wasn't!!!!!
March 10, 2016
I devoured #MadWoman by: Kat Savage in the time it took to have my lunch break, Once I started reading I couldn't stop her raw emotion jumped off the pages and smacked you right in the kisser. I had so many thoughts, emotions in so little time I was in a daze! The truth and metaphors she wrote were real I felt her words. Sometimes poetry can teach you more than anyone could. I've tried my hand at writing, but it's nothing like this Kat bared all && it shows I gave Mad Woman 5 stars
June 7, 2016
Mad Woman is fire.
Raw, brilliant, chaotic emotion. Kat's poetry leaves me feeling like I don't just understand what she felt in the moments she felt them, but I have been there as well. She has a honest magic about her openness as a human and an artist, that makes her work easy to connect with. poetry is feeling. sadness. anger. madness. Kat encompasses it all. I would recommend Mad Woman, to anyone who has ever felt anything. Just do it already.
Raw, brilliant, chaotic emotion. Kat's poetry leaves me feeling like I don't just understand what she felt in the moments she felt them, but I have been there as well. She has a honest magic about her openness as a human and an artist, that makes her work easy to connect with. poetry is feeling. sadness. anger. madness. Kat encompasses it all. I would recommend Mad Woman, to anyone who has ever felt anything. Just do it already.
June 27, 2016
Seriously... This woman's writing is AH-MAY-ZING!!!!!! Probably more so because I can relate to just about every poem written. She has a way with words. They wrap so tight yet gently around your heart, breaking it in pieces and lovingly put back together. I could have read a "novel"'s worth of her words. PICK THIS UP AND READ IMMEDIATELY, you won't be disappointed and if you are, too bad, I wasn't!!!!!
October 27, 2016
This was an overall good read. I kinda forgot about it in my kindle for a little while, which is why it took me so long to finish a 50 page book. But the poems were actually quite good and relatable. I saw myself in some of the poems which is always interesting. some of them were pretty dark. But that is what made some of them intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would read more books by this poet.
March 14, 2016
I had the ability to read an ARC of Mad Woman, and I'll say the author does not disappoint. I was highly anticipating this book after reading Learning to Speak, and Kat Savage knocks this out of the park. She captures the madness in all of us brilliantly, and is honest in her confessions. I can't wait to see what she does next.
September 9, 2016
4.5 stars
I went in totally blind with this and so glad I did,it was fantastic! Don't get me wrong, some parts were difficult to read,knowing they we true and other parts felt as though every woman can relate. Will definitely be reading more from this author
I went in totally blind with this and so glad I did,it was fantastic! Don't get me wrong, some parts were difficult to read,knowing they we true and other parts felt as though every woman can relate. Will definitely be reading more from this author
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