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My Darling from the Lions
Described as a narrative collection in three parts, My Darling from the Lions “threads experiences of the learning and unlearning of shame, the body, sex, faith, blackness, lineage, prophecy and healing”
Unknown Binding
First published August 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
June 15, 2022
4.5
Firstly the cover is so appealing! It drew me in immediately and once I read the description I borrowed it from the library app immediately.
This is a great collection of modern poetry. Honest to a point that I’ve heard it made others uncomfortable.
I’m highly recommending this one and look forward to the authors future work.
Firstly the cover is so appealing! It drew me in immediately and once I read the description I borrowed it from the library app immediately.
This is a great collection of modern poetry. Honest to a point that I’ve heard it made others uncomfortable.
I’m highly recommending this one and look forward to the authors future work.
December 3, 2021
This is a very good debut collection from British poet Rachel Long. Drawing from her mixed race background, her poems explore themes from her childhood and adolescence, emerging in the last section to tackle racial themes head on. This picked up momentum as it went along, with the final section particularly strong. The references to barbie dolls and public scrutiny of Meghan Markle (“Black Princess”) were poignant.
October 15, 2020
This poetry collection was fantastic and I will definitely read whatever the poet publishes next. I really liked the focus on Blackness, colourism, sexuality, femininity, family and so much more. Each part has a slightly different thematic focus and I have to say that my favourite was part one. I loved the way Long uses format and structure so well to create her poems. She has good use of narrative and also rhythm, which I find essential to any good poetry collection. I think that whenever I reread this collection, I’ll be able to process and take in even more than the first time around.
This review and others can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2020/1...
This review and others can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2020/1...
November 29, 2020
OMG I can’t listen to this audio book any longer.
I knew it was going to be hard subject matters but the reading of this is just driving me crazy.
It’s monotone, no pitch, no power, no strength to the reading.
It’s definitely hard subjects. I would have stuck with it but for.....oh that voice!
I knew it was going to be hard subject matters but the reading of this is just driving me crazy.
It’s monotone, no pitch, no power, no strength to the reading.
It’s definitely hard subjects. I would have stuck with it but for.....oh that voice!
November 9, 2025
great at capturing the strange and vivid (and sometimes horrifying) contours of childhood, but difficult for me to get into.
June 17, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!
I adored Rachel Long's writing in these poems. She has a remarkable way with words and I really enjoyed reading every single element. The poems contained content such as sex, race, healing, femininity and many other aspects and I found that these were portrayed eloquently and beautifully.
However, at times I felt very disconnected to the characters and I wish there was more descriptions on them so I couldn't enjoy it to its full potential .I will definitely be reading more of Rachel Long's works!
I adored Rachel Long's writing in these poems. She has a remarkable way with words and I really enjoyed reading every single element. The poems contained content such as sex, race, healing, femininity and many other aspects and I found that these were portrayed eloquently and beautifully.
However, at times I felt very disconnected to the characters and I wish there was more descriptions on them so I couldn't enjoy it to its full potential .I will definitely be reading more of Rachel Long's works!
November 30, 2020
I enjoy how some poetry collections can give an impressionistic feel for an individual's life. Rachel Long's poems in her debut collection “My Darling from the Lions” link hands to form a portrait of its narrator experience. The poems alternate between quiet moments of introspection and distinct observations about a series of spirited personalities. But there is also a self-consciousness where the narrator is aware of being perceived and interpreted. A series of short poems all labelled 'Open' describe the narrator's experience in a state of sleep or repose where different people around her make the same or similar observations. This conveys something so striking about experience as we feel it as opposed to how others see us inhabiting the world from the outside.
Read my full review of My Darling from the Lions by Rachel Long on LonesomeReader
Read my full review of My Darling from the Lions by Rachel Long on LonesomeReader
December 27, 2022
5 stars
Sometimes wandering around Barnes & Noble produces finding gems and this was a gem that I am so glad I discovered in the poetry section. I normally only buy poetry at Target because it's cheaper, but I decided to check out the poetry section on my last trip at B&N and wow. This collection was raw and painful and the imagery was evocative. The emotions and the voice of Rachel Long was heard loudly and clearly in each poem. I loved this collection so much. I was so moved and viscerally impacted. This is an incredibly short collection, but the wide variety of poems which range from a few lines to several pages was brilliant. I finished this yesterday, but I can already feel the profound impact this has left in my bones. "Bike" is a new favorite poem, but "8" has also stuck in my spirit. Such a great find! Also, this cover is STUNNING!
Sometimes wandering around Barnes & Noble produces finding gems and this was a gem that I am so glad I discovered in the poetry section. I normally only buy poetry at Target because it's cheaper, but I decided to check out the poetry section on my last trip at B&N and wow. This collection was raw and painful and the imagery was evocative. The emotions and the voice of Rachel Long was heard loudly and clearly in each poem. I loved this collection so much. I was so moved and viscerally impacted. This is an incredibly short collection, but the wide variety of poems which range from a few lines to several pages was brilliant. I finished this yesterday, but I can already feel the profound impact this has left in my bones. "Bike" is a new favorite poem, but "8" has also stuck in my spirit. Such a great find! Also, this cover is STUNNING!
May 31, 2021
I always feel so mean when I give a small book one star, especially when it’s something personal like poetry. But this kind of poetry isn’t my thing! I was gifted this book by a friend as part of a random selection from a bookshop, so the rating is on me really as I wouldn’t have picked this book for myself.
It feels like the poems we had to read in GCSE English where you study the meaning behind the words and rhythm, and I prefer poetry that is explicit in its meaning and open and vulnerable in its words.
Anyway, this wasn’t for me, but 100% personal taste. It was definitely great to finally have some diversity in this genre as there’s definitely a big big gap that really needs to be addressed!
It feels like the poems we had to read in GCSE English where you study the meaning behind the words and rhythm, and I prefer poetry that is explicit in its meaning and open and vulnerable in its words.
Anyway, this wasn’t for me, but 100% personal taste. It was definitely great to finally have some diversity in this genre as there’s definitely a big big gap that really needs to be addressed!
April 12, 2021
A quick read. I loved the section on hair. There are so many confessional contemporary poets I can't help holding them all to the quality of Anne Sexton and feeling underwhelmed by the 'I...I...I...I'. I love the 'I' repeated, I love honesty - especially when it is necessary, but I want more, I want various, I want beyond - new ways of dissecting experience and memory beyond the free flowing first person lulling like a cry on the phone.
January 12, 2024
Interesting infusion of colloquial language. These poems had a strong sense of voice that carried throughout. Really enjoyed the last section ‘Doll’ the most.
Rumination’s on growing up mixed-race, family and sexuality. Obviously I cannot relate to aspects of this (because I’m white LOL), but also found the poems about hair/micro aggressions the most fun.
My favourites were Mum’s Snake, Black Princess! Black Princess! And Self portrait with Baby.
Rumination’s on growing up mixed-race, family and sexuality. Obviously I cannot relate to aspects of this (because I’m white LOL), but also found the poems about hair/micro aggressions the most fun.
My favourites were Mum’s Snake, Black Princess! Black Princess! And Self portrait with Baby.
January 24, 2024
4.25 stars★★★★☆
☞ Trigger warnings: *contains spoilers* .
I also posted my review on my blog ✿
this is a beautifully written poetry collection that weaves through the authors life and experiences.
Rachel Long delves into girlhood, womenhood (the pressure, the want, and the waning), being a person with a womb, being being biracial, being darker skinned, being African, being a daughter, being a brown daughter, being a daughter of a black African mother, being a daughter of a white father, being raised in a white Britian, being a Chrisitan, being someone who believes in ancestral spiritual magic, in being a sister, being a friend, being lover, being a sexual being.
a few quotes from the poems that I like:
from Hotel Art, Barcelona
- “Contorting myself three ways in the toilet mirror,
I decide I won’t look like this forever.
I don’t even look like this now.”
from Psalm 51:7*
-“wash me and i shall be whiter than touched by the hand of his clock i am instantly older”
from The Garden
- “Go, now. Fasten the black veil
though no woman has shown you how.”
- “Beg forgiveness for the thing you haven’t done yet.
Say the prayer to rid you of bloom.
Say it in the tongue your mother might’ve taught you.
Who will you be this time around?”
from The Yearner
- “A part of me is dead. Now
I can shake my own hand,
meet myself again for the first time.”
- “I am another.
Promise? This time will be different.”
from Red Hoover
- “Don’t tell me
you’ve ruined it already”
from Mum’s Snake*
- “Hair is a crowning glory.
A source of not only beauty but power.”
- “Lord deliver me. My enemies wage war against me.”
from And then there was the time I got into a fight
-“his real brown daughter.”
from Wire
- “so manageable, such a quiet curl.”
from Inside
- “A diary
isnt a diary till
you won;t show anyone.”
- “Jehovah, if you save me I will-”
from Divine Healing
-“She’d forgotten the language
of her girlhood, but there, on the floor, remembered
three words and repeated, Amin, Jesu Kristi.”
from Night
-“You knew, somehow,
that to die was to be hungry.”
from Communion
- “Behold the miracle of afro hair
Blackness so complete
you could put your hand in,
never get it back.”
- “Girl, you’re the blackest you will ever be in here,
stop pulling away”
* the poems with asterisks are my favourite ones
other favourites (that were not quoted above):
- Bike
- Orb
- Helena
- Black Princess! Black Princess!
** i have to mention that the audiobook contained two additional poems that were not in the ebook. i don't have an explanation for this. these two poems were The Sharks and Victoria Beckham and The Sunflower**
Would I recommend this book??
Yes, I would recommend this beautiful poetry book.
Will I re-read this book?
If I acquire a physical copy, then I would re-read this, yes.
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January 2, 2022
A funny, powerful and heartbreaking collection of poems exploring class, femininity, racism and relationships. Also, I love the cover!
One poem, Helena, which discusses the rape of a woman, was brilliant and will echo rent free in my mind for a long, long time.
It's broken down into three sections, that somehow weave together, starting with "Open", which looks at familial relationships, childhood, and growing up mixed race and poor in Britain; the second "A Lineage of Wigs", is about Black femininity, afro hair politics, religion and motherhood; and the last section, "Dolls", violently uses dolls to examine racial violence and the dehumanization of Black women (shout out to Barbie and Ken for this one!)
I listened to the Audiobook, narrated by the author, but the format just didn't work for me. You couldn't really tell where one poem ended and the next began. I am considering buying this to see how it slaps differently, because I really feel it will.
If you like poetry then I definitely reccomend this, but the book, not the audio.
One poem, Helena, which discusses the rape of a woman, was brilliant and will echo rent free in my mind for a long, long time.
It's broken down into three sections, that somehow weave together, starting with "Open", which looks at familial relationships, childhood, and growing up mixed race and poor in Britain; the second "A Lineage of Wigs", is about Black femininity, afro hair politics, religion and motherhood; and the last section, "Dolls", violently uses dolls to examine racial violence and the dehumanization of Black women (shout out to Barbie and Ken for this one!)
I listened to the Audiobook, narrated by the author, but the format just didn't work for me. You couldn't really tell where one poem ended and the next began. I am considering buying this to see how it slaps differently, because I really feel it will.
If you like poetry then I definitely reccomend this, but the book, not the audio.
February 16, 2022
A deftly written, powerful collection, exploring themes of motherhood, class, relationships, body image, religion, and racism. These themes entangles within three tightly-woven section: the first "Open" exploring the vulnerability of childhood and relationships; the second "A Lineage of Wigs", about relationships with mothers, about Black femininity, and religion; and the third, "Dolls", using Barbie and Ken dolls to examine racial violence and the dehumanization of Black women. This collection is full of energy, and the poems form a cohesive whole: I was especially moved by work from the first section, including "Night Vigil" and "8", both of which deal with sexual abuse of a young girl in a nuanced and emotionally vivid way, and "Helena" which deals with rape of an adult woman. These poems look at powerlessness and exploitation of women, and sit with trauma allowing its complexity and ambivalence to have space on the page. I also really enjoyed the witty poem "Sandwiches", about a teenager stuffing sandwiches into her bra to make her chest look bigger, and "Portent", which begins "I feel middle class when I'm in love." Later poems in the collection, such as "The Musical Box", about motherhood, and "Communion," a poem about Afro hair and being mixed race, are also imaginative and compelling, and I appreciate the anger and power of the final section, "Dolls", which looks closely at racist violence.
This is a strong collection, but some of the poems were too surreal or too short for me to really find much meaning in them, and while each section contains very powerful pieces of work, others fail to make an emotional connection. I also wished that Long would allow herself to be more experimental with the page and lyric line: "8", one of her strongest poems, is also one of her most experimental, and I wished she'd pushed boundaries more in her other work. All that being said, Long is a talented and necessary poet, and I would definitely recommend this book, even if it didn't work for me all the time.
This is a strong collection, but some of the poems were too surreal or too short for me to really find much meaning in them, and while each section contains very powerful pieces of work, others fail to make an emotional connection. I also wished that Long would allow herself to be more experimental with the page and lyric line: "8", one of her strongest poems, is also one of her most experimental, and I wished she'd pushed boundaries more in her other work. All that being said, Long is a talented and necessary poet, and I would definitely recommend this book, even if it didn't work for me all the time.
July 3, 2020
I was provided with a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This collection embodies a mixture of themes namely blackness, sex and family. The execution of this collection is captivating.
However, for the first 30% of this book, I found myself thinking the collection just wasn't for me. It had a lot of the makings of poems I find hard to discern, however as I kept on reading I found some real gems. Even if I didn't like an entire poem, there would be lines in there that I just adored. Regardless of if I enjoyed a poem or not Rachel conveys strong imagery with her words, my issue was that I felt a lot of these things didn't make sense or they were way too disjointed. However, this strong imagery is also what I loved about certain poems, as disjointed as they felt or as random as they seemed, some poems just spoke to me. My favourite poem is Communion, it works well in free verse and for me, they built on images I am already familiar with due to my experience relating to the poem. I also just had to look up the inspiration behind the poem and I love an ode to Black hair and the experience of Black hair salons.
This collection embodies a mixture of themes namely blackness, sex and family. The execution of this collection is captivating.
However, for the first 30% of this book, I found myself thinking the collection just wasn't for me. It had a lot of the makings of poems I find hard to discern, however as I kept on reading I found some real gems. Even if I didn't like an entire poem, there would be lines in there that I just adored. Regardless of if I enjoyed a poem or not Rachel conveys strong imagery with her words, my issue was that I felt a lot of these things didn't make sense or they were way too disjointed. However, this strong imagery is also what I loved about certain poems, as disjointed as they felt or as random as they seemed, some poems just spoke to me. My favourite poem is Communion, it works well in free verse and for me, they built on images I am already familiar with due to my experience relating to the poem. I also just had to look up the inspiration behind the poem and I love an ode to Black hair and the experience of Black hair salons.
September 13, 2020
I read it through in one sitting and it felt like reading a memoir.
Shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, this is Long’s debut collection about sexuality, culture and faith. Long’s poems are my favourite kind - lyrical storytelling, unafraid to read grim or uncomfortably. Poems that are about speaking and telling and sharing.
Here’s a snippet that’s a particular favourite of mine now, from The Garden:
Beg forgiveness for the thing you haven’t done yet.
Say the prayer to rid you of bloom.
Say it in the tongue your mother might’ve taught you.
Who will you be this time around?
- Will you allow a flower to open
like a door from your mouth,
or does a bouquet of horsewhips
bloom from your right hand?
Shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, this is Long’s debut collection about sexuality, culture and faith. Long’s poems are my favourite kind - lyrical storytelling, unafraid to read grim or uncomfortably. Poems that are about speaking and telling and sharing.
Here’s a snippet that’s a particular favourite of mine now, from The Garden:
Beg forgiveness for the thing you haven’t done yet.
Say the prayer to rid you of bloom.
Say it in the tongue your mother might’ve taught you.
Who will you be this time around?
- Will you allow a flower to open
like a door from your mouth,
or does a bouquet of horsewhips
bloom from your right hand?
September 27, 2020
Staggeringly good debut collection. Funny, poignant, and brilliant new voice. Highly recommended
October 21, 2022
2.5 ⭐️
August 30, 2020
"Behold the miracle of afro hair.
Blackness so complete
You could put your hand in,
never get it back."
"She's absent from every family holiday.
Doesn't she care that we appear motherless
and heartless, grinning cheese like we don't miss her."
"Steve was the black one mum
must've bought him for us we wouldn't have asked for him
he was ugly of course he fancied princess barbie
but her blue sparklies were strictly for ken"
I always struggle to review poetry because my thoughts basically boil down to "don't like this/don't get this" or "really like this". Anyway I really like this. One of my best of the year.
Blackness so complete
You could put your hand in,
never get it back."
"She's absent from every family holiday.
Doesn't she care that we appear motherless
and heartless, grinning cheese like we don't miss her."
"Steve was the black one mum
must've bought him for us we wouldn't have asked for him
he was ugly of course he fancied princess barbie
but her blue sparklies were strictly for ken"
I always struggle to review poetry because my thoughts basically boil down to "don't like this/don't get this" or "really like this". Anyway I really like this. One of my best of the year.
August 14, 2020
These intimate, lyrical poems explore themes such as race, gender, religion, sexual experience and trauma through small, perfect, recognisable details. Some are disturbing and some are delightful. All feel very personal and confessional. This is a good collection to read alongside Girl, Woman, Other.
February 12, 2022
My Darling to the Lions
3.5/5 stars
The cover of the edition I own is absolutely gorgeous and 100 percent the reason I picked this up in the first place. One of my favorite real image covers I own.
This one had certain poems that had such strong imagery and were haunting such as the one titled Steve towards the end. The author tackles a lot of strong subject matter within each of her marginalized identities. Mainly being a woman as well as black. A handful of poems displayed this raw undeniable talent that make me think I would pick up a follow up collection from this author in the future. The longers ones that felt more like vignettes rather than poems make me think that if this author writes a novel one day it would be absolutely stunning.
However, there are a decent amount of poetry collections that have this flowery writing that I used to think was trying too hard and I've realized now that it's moreso that it goes over my head. About two thirds of these poems I didnt understand. I either missed the point with some, or there were others that I was following and then felt the message become convoluted and I was lost by the end of.
3.5/5 stars
The cover of the edition I own is absolutely gorgeous and 100 percent the reason I picked this up in the first place. One of my favorite real image covers I own.
This one had certain poems that had such strong imagery and were haunting such as the one titled Steve towards the end. The author tackles a lot of strong subject matter within each of her marginalized identities. Mainly being a woman as well as black. A handful of poems displayed this raw undeniable talent that make me think I would pick up a follow up collection from this author in the future. The longers ones that felt more like vignettes rather than poems make me think that if this author writes a novel one day it would be absolutely stunning.
However, there are a decent amount of poetry collections that have this flowery writing that I used to think was trying too hard and I've realized now that it's moreso that it goes over my head. About two thirds of these poems I didnt understand. I either missed the point with some, or there were others that I was following and then felt the message become convoluted and I was lost by the end of.
March 16, 2021
This is an interesting collection, I rarely sit down and read a poetry collection from start to finish but this really flows. It's very contemporary, the language is modern and fresh and you get impressions of a girl becoming a woman, memory and identity, all from different moments. Things that have shaped her. I thought the stronger poems were all about her mother, but perhaps my bias as I love things like that. Some poems were playful and funny which was really nice. Thought it could have been longer and some poems could have been stronger but obviously this is very subjective. Definitely interested in more from this poet.
September 2, 2021
i’m either dumb or the annoying asmr voice of the audiobook melted my brain too much to understand
June 21, 2022
DNF at 50% - it wasn't for me
July 11, 2022
5 stars saved for poetry, naturally. This is a masterclass - when you feel like you're reading the totality of an emotional life it's doing the job right.
February 18, 2023
3.5 🌟
'This morning he told me
I sleep with my mouth open
and my hands in my hair.
I say, What, like screaming?
He says, No, like abandon.'
'This morning he told me
I sleep with my mouth open
and my hands in my hair.
I say, What, like screaming?
He says, No, like abandon.'
July 29, 2024
this is one of my favourite poetry books ever. i genuinely think i read from it daily😭 just pure magic, honestly.
August 15, 2021
Always difficult to review poetry, since it's so subjective, but I liked these a lot; it felt like a coherent collection, each poem linking with the others. Would definitely read more work by her.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews