Review: Fragmented Bliss by B.J. Rosalind

Benita is a 17-year-old author from Indonesia who has self-published her own poetry collection quite recently. She sent me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review and I’m glad she did.

Fragmented Bliss by B.J. Rosalind
★★★☆☆

As someone who’s only recently started reading poetry, I really liked this collection. It remained accessible to someone’s who not a ‘Poetry Pro’ (yep, that’s me) but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t profound or moving. I also tend to prefer my poems simple, and Benita’s beautiful writing did not disappoint:

Lies of Fire
“We set ourselves on fire,
in hope for others to admire.
From afar, we’re the epitome of life.
From near, we’re dying for the afterlife.”

 

I felt like I was reading a novel rather than a poetry collection. There’s a story here being told of a young woman who has loved and hurt, and who manages despite everything to prevail in the end. There’s a poem I particularly liked, ‘To Young Girls,’ especially that part: “Boys will be boys are poorly formed excuses. Show them that girls will be girls means speaking your mind and standing up for yourself.” In this current political climate, this feels more important than ever to remember.

That being said, I’m not big on romance (be it in poetry or fiction) and couldn’t really relate to most of the poems, which explains my rating.

I recommend this collection to people who have enjoyed Milk and Honey or The Princess Saves Herself in This One.

You can find out more about Fragmented Bliss on Goodreads. Benita is also present on Instagram and Tumblr where she posts her poetry.