The King's Journal of Lost and Secret Things

In these poems about love, nature, art, and life, Carole McDonnell creates evocative poetry that touches the heart, spirit, and mind. Lovers of fairytales and fantasy will also find that The King's Journal of Lost and Secret Things also contains poems by Carole McDonnell which appear in her novels, The Constant Tower, My Life as an Onion, and Wind Follower. Review by youtube reviewer, Jessica Butler Fry of Talk Story To Me: "I have always enjoyed poetry, though much of its technique...
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In these poems about love, nature, art, and life, Carole McDonnell creates evocative poetry that touches the heart, spirit, and mind. Lovers of fairytales and fantasy will also find that The King's Journal of Lost and Secret Things also contains poems by Carole McDonnell which appear in her novels, The Constant Tower, My Life as an Onion, and Wind Follower. Review by youtube reviewer, Jessica Butler Fry of Talk Story To Me: "I have always enjoyed poetry, though much of its technique and finesse passes over my head. The only way I can evaluate it is through personal questions: does it make me feel something, what images does it evoke, and so on? This book of poems was a quiet delight. Given my love of fairy tales, it's no surprise that my favorite section was the first one. The Princess and the Pea as well as The Princess and the Frog were two of my favorites. McDonnell's Little Red Riding Hood poem was quite a surprising twist. I hadn't even thought of the story that way, but her analysis in poetic form made sense. McDonnell touches on many emotional topics. She deals with racism, religion, family, and aging. The poignant honesty particularly as relates to aging was especially good. It's so easy to see people in static boxes rather than realizing that they grow and change. She isn't afraid of revealing a great deal about herself or her thoughts, and it is like reading an abstract journal at points with emotional images. Crone Poem #5 is particularly strong in imagery and emotion. Others like "Awaiting My Son's First Words" are heartbreaking in their honesty and pain, particularly if you know what McDonnell and her son have endured. And others like "How to Speak to the Dying" are just filled with good old fashioned commonsense and compassion that has become far too rare these days. And by the time you reach the final sections, you will reach the many poems that McDonnell has written for her own stories. All of these have been published. Personally, I feel that the poems in Windfollower and Constant Tower are at their most powerful when in the context of the novels, but they are still lovely additions here. They have epic and psalm-like qualities. The poems from My Life as an Onion are intensely personal and raw, taking a different voice. So quite enjoyable and highly recommended."