The Princess Saves Herself in this One book review

After I finished There’s Someone Inside Your House back in January, I started The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace.  I also finished the book of poetry through tired eyes because it’s a book that spoke to me on so many levels.  I didn’t want to stop reading because I understood these words.  They were thoughts I have never truly been able to articulate.  I think in many ways, poetry is an underrated genre of the written word.  Capturing so many emotions in so few words makes us understand more of the pain and heartache we have dealt with in life. This of course can also be said about the joyous occasions as well.  I also think poetry lets words morph into something far more than other formats of writing.

What I love about The Princess Saves Herself in this One is that it focuses on the female perspective.  While I enjoy reading various works by both male and female writers, I have found in the past couple of months I can connect more, for the most part, with female poets than male ones.  This is not to say I do not and have not connected with male poetry, but lately I find myself under a gravitational pull to the female soul.  Maybe that is because of my longing to truly understand my life, in addition to my past.  What is so beautiful about reading The Princess Saves Herself in this One is the reminder that we do not necessarily need anyone but ourselves in life.

For instanced, until recently being able to go out with myself seemed like a foreign concept.  Now though I find strength in merely going to a restaurant with a good book, going to the theater, or even shopping alone is far more important than I ever gave it credit for a while back.  I used to think that I had to go with someone.  And then I started going to the movies by myself and realized not so much.  If I want to do something I can do so.  After all, I’m an adult.  I have a driver’s license.  I do not always have to have someone go with me.  However, with that said, I do not want to do everything by myself.  I want to attend conventions with like-minded fans, as well as concerts.  I love going to book club every month.  I enjoy my connections, but I’ve also learned I love my alone time just as much.  Toss me a sunny afternoon with my pup and a book and I’m content.

Those are the important lessons to take from this book.  You can do whatever your heart desires, eve if it is as simple as merely chilling in a movie theater by yourself.  These are not the only messages I took to heart from reading this book of poetry though.  When reading about the loss of her mother, I have never felt as connected with words in my life.  Grief is beyond powerful and takes over our lives at times and it’s a blessing to have a reminder that it’s okay to paint the sky back into our lives.  It’s a comforting reminder that our happily ever after still exists.  That even if our lives are not going the way we think it should there is still time for that to change. And for someone who has dealt with my weight my whole life, there’s something heartbreaking knowing how it feels to feel guilty about eating, but an uplifting reminder that the word fat is merely an adjective and nothing more.

For those struggling, feeling stuck, feeling downright worn down and beaten, The Princess Saves Herself In This One is the book for you.  These poems resonate in ways that will keep me coming back to this book over time.  Maybe that is partly because my anxiety, or returning to depression once more (though I hope not), will remind me to check in with this one every once in a while. And while I’m not looking forward to such emotions lurking within my life, I can honestly say I am grateful to know I can come back to this book in the future whenever I need to.