Let it be known that as the leaves begin to change colors, and kiss their branches farewell cuffing season has approached. For those of you who do not know what that means, it is basically a time where young couples claim each other. So as usual I found myself gazing the romance section of Barnes and Noble, the only section I go to and this maroon cover grabs my attention. Peculiar, for there is this sad depiction of an animated asian girl, short black bob, with blue eyes that look like they've been crying her whole life. “Love” is italicized on the front cover and “MISADVENTURE” boldly underneath in all caps. Now whenever I read romance novels I'm always interested in who the book is dedicated too, this one reads “For Michael: the half of this book-the whole of my heart.”
This poetry book is for lack of a better word, melancholic. It will put you in your feelings, as in have the reader miss a lover they have yet to meet. It is broken down in the phases of a relationship. Part one is called “Misadventure,” So Lang Leav gets right to the point, she does not leave any spaces for fluffy cupcake phases in a relationship, but rather goes straight to the moments couples begin question if their relationship is actually worth fighting for. The first poem titled “A Toast!” (found in the appendix) is pretty bittersweet.
When I first read it I felt sorry for the narrator, because her tone is one of remorse. It was ironic to me because as the reader I thought I would be reading about this epic love story and then how it fades. But Lang Leav begins her poetry with this notion of being wary in her love, and that is not the typical way to start a relationship, beginning with doubts. These poems in chapter 1 are dreary and full of stereotypical phases in any relationship. She writes about the roller coaster moments, and how her lovers decisions affect her.
The second chapter is titled “Circus of Sorrows,” and by this time the reader is halfway through the book, wondering when exactly the audience will be introduced into the fairytale love that accompanies most relationships. These poems are full of loss and grief, and even the pace of the poems are slower as shown in “Letting Him Go” (found in appendix). The poems themselves seem to be depressed, Leav uses long drawn out phrases, and way too many filler words for example “like and as if.” She uses them to show the passing of time, it is almost like the lovers are in a stalemate. Most relationships go through this phase, getting accustomed to a routine, and it’s no longer exciting, eventually one if not both parties toy with the idea of leaving. It is fantastic how throughout her poems she makes them come alive and exemplify a relationship, even as a reader one can notice how the poems relate to one another.
Then there is the final chapter, and the reader is introduced to “love.” Leav keeps her readers guessing until we get to the good times in a relationship, but when the time finally comes she delivers it pretty well. Her poetry is filled with images, from standing watching her own lover Michael write, to remembering the times they had just being lazy around the house. Noting that his presence filled her heart with more love than anybody ever could. The poems are tight and curt, there is nothing long about them. Every poem is a memory, an observation of her watching him. It is by far my favorite chapter simply because I can relate to it the most, for I am a hopeless romantic.
Overall I would say that this book of poetry was decent. Although Leav’s writing style is kind of childish, this is a grown woman writing poems that sound as if they came out of a broken hearted teenage girls diary that just so happens to know how to rhyme. As the book continues however, Lang Leave’s poetry develops and matures along with the relationship. I would have liked to see her start with love and then sorrow leading to the misadventure, it was kind of confusing seeing everything backwards, and because she most likely did it that way on purpose and I still don't know why probably means that there were details missing in her poetry to give the reader hints. I would however, recommend “Love and Misadventures,” it incorporates all the phases of a relationship, and the poems themselves relate to each other. I think the poems are actually a metaphor for a relationship itself, so all in all it was a good read.
