I just left a 5 star review for Laughter Lines: Life at the Tail End by Sue Vincent. And I still haven’t stopped smiling. The review should be up on amazon.com in a day or two, but this is what I said:
I have never been a poetry person, but there’s something about Sue Vincents poems that really strikes a chord. They’re earthy, and funny, and poignant, and paint word pictures of things we’re all familiar with. Who has not dunked a biscuit [cookie] in coffee only to have it break and fall in the cup? Such a small, every day thing, and yet Vincent makes it laugh-out-loud funny.
And then there are the poems about the author’s dog, Ani. Those ones are particularly hilarious because Ani is like every dog I have ever known and loved – affectionate, intelligent, voracious, and just a little bit cunning.
But not all of the poems are funny. Some, like the one about Valentine’s Day, speak to the meaning of love. It’s a gentle reminder that we give and receive love every day of the year, in small heartfelt ways that cost nothing and mean everything.
And that, to me, is the essence of Sue Vincent’s poetry. It’s gentle, self-deprecating and utterly human. I would recommend Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End to everyone, even those, like me, who don’t like poetry!
What I forgot to mention in the review is how satisfying it is to read poems that rhyme! My Dad used to spout poetry [in Hungarian] when I was a kid, and every poem had a distinct rhythm to it that was both mesmerising and easy on the ear. I guess I like that kind of poetry more than I thought!
To get a taste of Vincents verses, click on the Look Inside pic below:
lol – and no, that isn’t Ani monstering someone. I think she’s actually singing…or something. π
Seriously, this book is wonderful. It will make you laugh, it will lift you up, and it will touch your heart.
cheers
Meeks
February 15th, 2021 at 5:00 am
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February 14th, 2021 at 8:50 am
[…] I am very grateful to my friend A.C. Flory for bringing this author’s work to my […]
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February 14th, 2021 at 12:24 pm
Just read your review and I love it! Left a comment basically saying I wish I’d written it. lol.
I’m sure Sue will be delighted as well. As for Ani, well, she’s probably busy with bone, but I’m sure she’ll give her approval once she’s finished. π
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February 14th, 2021 at 8:17 am
Great review for a lovely book
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February 14th, 2021 at 12:29 pm
Hi Mary. Thanks for popping in. It is a lovely book. I’ve just started Doggerel. π
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February 14th, 2021 at 7:00 am
[…] Continue reading at Meeka’s Mind, the blog of A. C. Flory […]
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:33 pm
What a wonderful review for Sue. I am very fond of poetry, tempting!
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February 11th, 2021 at 10:03 pm
If you already like poetry, you will love the Ani books. I believe Sue also writes more ‘serious’ poetry as well.
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February 11th, 2021 at 11:06 am
What a wonderful review, Andrea. That’s just lovely. Sue is a an amazing poet. I’m glad you enjoyed the read. π
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February 11th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
lol – Sue is an amazing poet. The fact that she can win over a Philistine like me says volumes! Of course Ani might have had something to do with it. π
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February 12th, 2021 at 2:01 am
Yeah, Ani’s a great poet too. Sue once commented to me that Ani sells more books than she does. Lol.
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February 12th, 2021 at 8:56 am
lmao – it’s those puppy dog eyes and innocent ‘smile’. π
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February 12th, 2021 at 10:07 am
She has great expressions. I’d be a total pushover.
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February 12th, 2021 at 11:15 am
Me too. That’s why Ani is my second favourite dog in the whole world. π
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February 11th, 2021 at 4:52 am
This is a lovely review, Meeks. I also loved this book.
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:07 am
Thanks, Robbie. I thought I’d be stepping outside my reading comfort zone. Instead I zoomed through the pages, laughing out loud at every second one! Sue, and Frank Prem, an Aussie poet, have taught me that there are forms of poetry that I can relate to. π
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February 11th, 2021 at 2:37 am
Wonderful review here. I bought the same book last week, and two more arrived yesterday, Pass the Turkey and Doggerel.
I love Sue’s poems, and Ani has a place in my heart too. Enjoy.
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:09 am
Hey! Welcome Kindred Spirit. π Doggerel is next on my list and I have Pass the Turkey too. Ani’s been my second favourite dog for ages. Definitely in Sue’s fan club now. π
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:30 pm
So glad.I love Sue’s poetry and stories from a dog’s point of view. Ani is so like our Maggie. I miss her so much.
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February 11th, 2021 at 10:04 pm
-hugs- I see my boy Kush in Ani too. He was my best friend for a lot of years. I miss him too.
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February 11th, 2021 at 10:17 pm
β€
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February 11th, 2021 at 12:58 am
Just got this book and a looking forward to reading it. You have helped me make the decision to get right on it!
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:10 am
Hi Annette and thank you! You’ve literally just made my day. -huge hugs- You won’t be disappointed. π
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February 10th, 2021 at 9:20 pm
This is a wonderful review for one of my favourite Sue Vincent/Ani books…
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:12 am
Thank you and welcome. I feel as if I’ve just discovered buried treasure. In truth the only thing holding me back was that I didn’t see myself as a poetry person. Sometimes I can be remarkably…silly. lol
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February 11th, 2021 at 7:21 pm
Sometimes the brain just takes its time…
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February 11th, 2021 at 7:54 pm
So true. π
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February 10th, 2021 at 5:12 pm
[…] Continue reading at Meeka’s Mind, the blog of A. C. Flory […]
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February 10th, 2021 at 5:07 pm
Reblogged this on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo and commented:
A wonderful review from A. C. Flory…
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February 10th, 2021 at 7:55 pm
Totally deserved Sue! I’m starting Doggerel next. π
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February 10th, 2021 at 8:12 pm
Have fun π
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February 10th, 2021 at 8:23 pm
I have been. This diversification stuff is great. π
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February 10th, 2021 at 8:33 pm
I grew up with grandparents who recited rhyme… it sort of stuck π
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:14 am
My Dad did too, but with me it didn’t stick, maybe because we had to dissect poems at school. I am so happy to discover that there /is/ poetry I can relate to. Plus you and Ani do make me laugh. -hugs-
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February 11th, 2021 at 9:56 am
We had to do that too… it never works for helping appreciate poetry…
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February 11th, 2021 at 1:15 pm
I know! This may be rather radical thinking but I’d advocate not ‘teaching’ poetry or literature at school level, at all. I fell in love with reading despite my schooling and the Offspring is the same.
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February 11th, 2021 at 8:01 pm
I still can’t read Dickens because of what we did with it in school… on the other hand, our rather radical young teachertook us all to the theatre to watch Shakespeare’s Henry IV… which we were studying… and I fell in love with Shakespeare from seeing it played…which is how it should be.
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February 11th, 2021 at 8:07 pm
Yes!!!!! When the Offspring was little, the extended family went to an open air performance of A mid-summer night’s dream. We /all/ loved it. Then Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson made the movie version of Much Ado About Nothing and the Offspring was hooked completely.
Seems so obvious, doesn’t it? A play needs to be seen not read!
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February 11th, 2021 at 8:11 pm
Absolutely. I went back to the theatre the next day on my own and, because I knew the stage door keeper, back stage to talk to the cast…pure magic. Prince Hal was played by Timothy Dalton (it was long before he was particularly famous).
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February 11th, 2021 at 10:12 pm
Oh Bravo! It stays with you, doesn’t it? I have never met one of my heroes, but there are some things from my youth that still shine bright.
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February 11th, 2021 at 11:51 pm
He was never one of my heroes, but he and teh rest of the cast were surprisingly kind. I think my excitement at ‘discovering’ Shakespeare answered their own love for the Bard. After all, why are they playing if not to share that love? π
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February 12th, 2021 at 9:11 am
Very true. I think we tend to forget that artists are consumers of art just as we are.
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February 12th, 2021 at 9:13 am
Yes…
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February 10th, 2021 at 5:06 pm
That pic is Ani doing the whole” I am far too cute to resist sharing lunch with” face… π
What a wonderful review, Andrea! Ani and I both thank you very much π
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February 10th, 2021 at 7:56 pm
-giggles- Thanks for explaining. I have a cat who yodels so I thought Ani might be singing too.
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February 10th, 2021 at 8:11 pm
She does… a legacy of her father’s breed (he was a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever…and they sing π )
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February 10th, 2021 at 8:25 pm
Hah! So I wasn’t that far wrong. π
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February 10th, 2021 at 8:33 pm
No…not at all π
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