Firstly, and as I very frequently note, I received this book via a GoodReads FirstReads giveaway. It's also worth mentioning that I am not, as a general rule, a reader of poetry books. I have nothing against them but they're not something I seek out with any regularity whatsoever. I also do not know the author and am providing my absolutely candid feedback on their offering below.

Since I am not one who wanders into the poetry genre very often I can only have one real criterion for judging it and that is, simply, its power to evoke the ineffable. Did the words as laid out by the poet bring to mind some feeling, or concept that wasn't inherently present in the surface interpretation of the words? Or to put it more simply, did the poet make me feel something?

Fioravanti's book earns three stars out of five in that regard (it should be noted that GoodReads rating system is irrationally biased towards the positive with three stars indicating not neutrality but a relatively positive result) as many of her poems did leave me with that vague "where did that come from?" sensation. In a few instances she pulled things into my consciousness rather unbidden that I wouldn't have expected. This is the result of good poetry and should be applauded.

There are a couple of counts in which the author does tend to lose me but they're not at all surprising and not her fault. She's obviously a very devout and thankful Christian and since I'm not, I obviously have to give those bits a pass. I respect utterly her journey in that regard but I do not share that so she wanders a bit afield from my standpoint as a reader. Secondly, and even more obviously, she's sharing her journey through life as a woman/wife/etc and so in some ways I'm not all that qualified (as a man) to relate very strongly to her point of view. Again, I respect it and honor it but can't say "been there, done that".

In summary, Fioravanti's work is a collection of very respectable and well-honed poetry. I congratulate her on her work and think the world of it though since I am so far outside its intended demographic it does tend to fall a bit short of the hoped for 5-stars in my view. I am sure that the majority of other readers will not be so encumbered. ( )