Martian Florist: Poetry 2023

by R. Clifton Sowers

A chapbook of original poetry by Cliff Sowers.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

104 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2023

Reviews

[Melany]

I feel bad because I got this in a Goodreads giveaway, but... this was rough. The writing is so distasteful and entitled. It's a compilation of poems of someone whining, huge bigot vibes. Don't waste your time on it. The cover deceived me.

[Nina]

It’s giving incel

[Liv]

I did not like this book and the only reason I read it was because I got it free from a giveaway.

[Kara]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

The author starts off with a trigger warning and all it says is to avoid poetry in general if you require a trigger warning. I thought it would be interesting to see another point of view so I read it and all it is, is complete mediocrity. According to the first few poems, he's a gentleman in his forties who really wants a teenager to call him daddy while they have sex. He also seems to have had a divorce and he hates being married and having a family so that was fine. According to other poems, he also hates being alone and rejected and trying to date other people. These poems have to be autobiographical because it's the same throughout the book. They're not terrible poems by themselves, but don't read this thinking by the end that there will be any kind of growth by the author or character in the poems. That person never changes.

He complains about some criticism he received for previous poetry collections and the same criticism could be said about this poetry, too. The author isn't changing or even getting better at his chosen craft. According to his biography and what I've seen of his other collections, he just cobbles together whatever he's written that year and pumps out a book. Maybe he should try writing about a part of history or something he's passionate about. A few of his poems showed promise, it's just the subject matter is boring and whiny.

It's a shame the beautiful cover was used for this book. I thought it would be more interesting than it turned out to be.

[Casey Vecchio]

no thank you

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway and I would like to give it back. This man needs therapy. The way he writes about women is wild.

[Jazmin Hope]

Won this in a giveaway. Regretful win. Do not recommend.

[Loki Poki]

"I'm not a misogynist; I'm a disgruntled simp"

Just not good, the "poems" are just rants about COVID, cheating, feminists and just women or the "poems" are just ridiculous and gross fantasies. Big incel vibes

(I won this in a Goodreads giveaway)

[Rae Gray]

I received a digital copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Mr. Sowers, the author and publisher.

I’m giving this a 3.75 rating. Poetry can be very cathartic, as any reader of it knows. Other poems in previous collections have touched on situations and relationships that have deeply affected the author, and some of these continue to be addressed in this new collection. There’s a lot of bitterness and anger here. That being said, I did enjoy “What Covid Stole”, “Sweet”, “Creatures”, “2AM”, and “Umbrella”.

[Michelle Rynkewicz]

Although the book is well written, and the themes are spot on for the current trauma driven generation throughout…most poetry collections aren’t so starkly different from poem to poem. If you like reading directly to a theme, this one isn’t for you.

I also found a good portion of this collection was written more like prose. That isn’t to say it’s bad, just that line breaks with better emphasis would have added to its gravity.

[Dan]

I acquired this book through a Goodreads giveaway, initially drawn to the space themed cover with seemingly positive vibes. However, the poems did not carry an overall sense of optimism. I feel that the author's portrayal of women lacks empathy. The tone feels overly angry at times. The themes of COVID, women, divorce, and politics are presented in a disorganized manner. Additionally, the trigger warning at the beginning felt more like a challenge or even an insult to those who may not appreciate the author's style. This one was not for me.

[Jess Conley]

The variety was interesting as if they were all written by someone different. I have to wonder if the 1 star ratings are just because people don't agree with some of the poems directions. I know I didn't but that doesn't mean they weren't well written. I wouldn't go out seeking this author but thought this particular group of poems were thought provoking.

[Sarah Ramirez]

Goodreads giveaway win

Wasn't really my cup of tea sadly. Wasn't a bad read just probably not what I was really in the mood to read, I might try again at a later time. Thank you for the giveaway! Always appreciated

[C]

I received this E-book free through Goodreads First Read.

This is an odd collection of poems. It felt like some poems were just rambling thoughts that didn't know when to stop.

[Trisha Hatfield]

Cliff Sowers makes you think and contemplate your life and the things around you. Some of his poems may be vulgar, but they always make you think.

[Kaitlyn Marie]

I received this book via a Goodreads giveaway.

Martian Florist, while nakedly crude at times, bears the unfiltered heart and soul of each poems' speaker. Depression, poverty, bitterness, hatred, love, loss, satire, and social commentary are just a few of the topics you'll uncover in this collection of raw and, at times, slightly unhinged poems.
(I, too, use the Oxford comma)

[Camille Gutierrez]

I won this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!

The writing itself is not bad, the way the author expresses himself is quite interesting...
I was expecting some sort of progression throughout the poems, but there was none. I interpreted the book as sort of autobiographical, and there's a lot of frustration towards his life and women in general. Kinda gave me his perspective of life, which seems a bit sad and chaotic.

Poetry is very subjective, and I understand that! Maybe the author wasn't really projecting but addressing some matters from a different point of view? if so, wasn't done in a way that's comprehensible.

I quite liked the cover.

[Alex Helm]

Author goes on a weird rant against trigger warnings, like they are such a big bad deal instead of an easy helpful thing

[P. Menezes]

I have won a copy of Martian Florist through a Giveaway, so thanks to the author for the book.
Like most Poetry books and collections it is quite impossible to expect readers to be moved and identify themselves with 100% of the content. That was my case with this book (and I can say that about many others...): there are some poetry that I enjoyed more, some much less and some that are for sure too personal for the author that most probably will make total sense only in his mind and in the realm of his experiences. As a poetry author myself, I can say that writing poetry is like becoming completely transparent in front of strangers, so putting emotions, thoughts and moods in written form and share this with the world is not something to be taken for granted. My rate is 3.75 for the reasons above.

[Chantell Kraemer]

Just NO! This is so foul and repelling. It does come with a trigger warning and to be clear I was never triggered. Just absolutely disgusted. I made it about halfway through before I could not read another page. The space-themed cover is so misleading. I really enjoy poetry, and I think this was the first ever poetry book I did not.

***I won this book via a GoodReads Giveaway***

[GERALD GENTRY]

I first want to thank, Cliff Sowers and all involved in the Goodreads Giveaway. I'm sorry I couldn't give a higher rating, but I have to be honest.

[EJ]

I got this in a giveaway as a kindle book. I’m by no means a poetry expert but the poems included just felt a bit ranty. Poetry is subjective so it is possible that I just didn’t understand but I did not really enjoy the poems.