Felicia Luna Lemus

I received this book as an Early Reviewer from LibraryThing. It consists of small prose snippets, sometimes poetic, about the author's life and experiences in Los Angeles during some of the California wildfires. Sometimes it is lyrical and evocative of the environment and nature, and sometimes of anonymous big city life. At times, I felt like I was in a home in a burning canyon, or a temporary shelter. But sometimes it wasn't so atmospheric, and sometimes there are shades of self-pity or pretended offense, like when a Starbucks barista asks how to spell her name, Felicia (not everybody knows how to spell that name). But I expected there to be more structure, maybe a build up to something special, and a denouement, but I didn't feel it or detect it in any way. Maybe I'm dense and need to reread it many times, which would only take about 40 minutes, but it's not calling me to do that. Maybe others will reveal to me a different interpretation.… (mais)

Particulate Matter by Felicia Luna Lemus is a collection of verse reflecting on a very difficult time in the author’s life. Included in the ARC is a note from the author that describes how this work was written over the time where she was living apart from her wife due to illness and had to endure a long daily commute to see her. Reading this, I found some of the passages really moving, pausing on these when I came across them to let them sink in. Other passages I didn’t understand the message or purpose, and found myself now and then just flipping through pages in confusion. So a mixed bag overall. Some elements beautifully crafted, others odd and instantly forgotten. My take away is that I enjoyed it but it didn’t blow me away. But I’m not a big poetry reader, so maybe there’s more here that I didn’t pick up on.

Thank you to LibraryThing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)