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Plum
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Poetry (2017)Hollie McNish has thrilled and entranced audiences the length and breadth of the UK with her compelling and powerful performances. Plum, her debut for Picador Poetry, is a wise, sometimes rude and piercingly candid account of her memories from childhood to attempted adulthood. This is a book about growing up, about guilt, flesh, fruit, friendships, work and play - and the urgent need to find a voice for the poems that will somehow do the whole glorious riot of it justice.
Throughout Plum, McNish allows her recent poems to be interrupted by earlier writing from her younger selves – voices that speak out from the past with disarming and often very funny results. Plum is a celebration, a salute to a life in which we are always growing, tripping, changing and discovering new selves to add to our own messy stores. It will leave the reader in no doubt as to why McNish is considered one of the most important poets of the new generation.
Praise for Hollie McNish
‘She writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love. She points out the absurdities we've grown too used to and lets us see the world with fresh eyes’ Kate Tempest
'Her rhymes have a driving quality, urgent words pinning down fleeting feelings' Observer
Throughout Plum, McNish allows her recent poems to be interrupted by earlier writing from her younger selves – voices that speak out from the past with disarming and often very funny results. Plum is a celebration, a salute to a life in which we are always growing, tripping, changing and discovering new selves to add to our own messy stores. It will leave the reader in no doubt as to why McNish is considered one of the most important poets of the new generation.
Praise for Hollie McNish
‘She writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love. She points out the absurdities we've grown too used to and lets us see the world with fresh eyes’ Kate Tempest
'Her rhymes have a driving quality, urgent words pinning down fleeting feelings' Observer
125 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
September 1, 2018
3***
From "head":
because this thing upon my neck
has carried me to places
i have never been
made me dreams
placed me into fantasies
i cannot afford
and will probably never see
in one short life
Hollie McNish is a spoken word poet and I love seeing some of her performances online.
This book of poetry encompasses poems that McNish wrote from a very young age, through to teenage years and adulthood. Her poems also cover a range of topics, and the tone changes through out, reflecting her growth in age and the changes it brings; from poems about meadows and sunshine, to the awkward poems inspired by her teen years and sexual experimentation, to motherhood.
Hollie McNish delivers powerful poems on topics that are usually censored; nipples, menstruation, saying the word "vulva", sexual experimentation, etc. She also does a great job at examining the low self esteem that females face at each stage of their lives and the exploitation and harassment they can face (in one poem she speaks out about the sexual harassment she received from a former employer).
Hollie McNish addresses a wide range of topics- not just those of the above, including friendship and love and how this morphs over time and age.
This was a great quick read in one-sitting, and I will no doubt re-read to fully appreciate each individual poem.
From "head":
because this thing upon my neck
has carried me to places
i have never been
made me dreams
placed me into fantasies
i cannot afford
and will probably never see
in one short life
Hollie McNish is a spoken word poet and I love seeing some of her performances online.
This book of poetry encompasses poems that McNish wrote from a very young age, through to teenage years and adulthood. Her poems also cover a range of topics, and the tone changes through out, reflecting her growth in age and the changes it brings; from poems about meadows and sunshine, to the awkward poems inspired by her teen years and sexual experimentation, to motherhood.
Hollie McNish delivers powerful poems on topics that are usually censored; nipples, menstruation, saying the word "vulva", sexual experimentation, etc. She also does a great job at examining the low self esteem that females face at each stage of their lives and the exploitation and harassment they can face (in one poem she speaks out about the sexual harassment she received from a former employer).
Hollie McNish addresses a wide range of topics- not just those of the above, including friendship and love and how this morphs over time and age.
This was a great quick read in one-sitting, and I will no doubt re-read to fully appreciate each individual poem.
July 14, 2017
“A new book?” my boyfriend asks when he sees me reading, as usual. “What’s this one about?”
I tell him it’s a book of poetry.
“Poetry?!” he frowns (half joking).
I try to explain how it’s a particularly engaging and fun collection.
The general public, even regular readers often view poetry as inaccessible or perplexingly elitist. But Hollie McNish is a great example of a modern poet with writing that’s so easy to relate to. It’s also smart, humorous, bawdy, political and socially-engaged. “Plum” is a book that also draws you into the author’s life. Many of the poems in this collection are headed by the age at which McNish produced them and the context within which they were written. This not only helps the reader understand the motivation behind them, but builds an ongoing narrative of a girl growing into a woman, a worker, a friend, a wife, a mother, a citizen and a poet. We see her change from a teenager working at a chemist’s who sniggers at customers buying condoms to being a woman feeling embarrassed about buying condoms herself. The collection as a whole beautifully captures a sense of McNish’s evolution as a person and a writer as her style changes over time.
Read my full review of Plum by Hollie McNish on LonesomeReader
I tell him it’s a book of poetry.
“Poetry?!” he frowns (half joking).
I try to explain how it’s a particularly engaging and fun collection.
The general public, even regular readers often view poetry as inaccessible or perplexingly elitist. But Hollie McNish is a great example of a modern poet with writing that’s so easy to relate to. It’s also smart, humorous, bawdy, political and socially-engaged. “Plum” is a book that also draws you into the author’s life. Many of the poems in this collection are headed by the age at which McNish produced them and the context within which they were written. This not only helps the reader understand the motivation behind them, but builds an ongoing narrative of a girl growing into a woman, a worker, a friend, a wife, a mother, a citizen and a poet. We see her change from a teenager working at a chemist’s who sniggers at customers buying condoms to being a woman feeling embarrassed about buying condoms herself. The collection as a whole beautifully captures a sense of McNish’s evolution as a person and a writer as her style changes over time.
Read my full review of Plum by Hollie McNish on LonesomeReader
September 17, 2023
I think I'd only heard one poem by Holly McNish before finding this collection in the library. it was interesting to hear the variety of subject and style she explores.
the collection contains poems serious and humorous, and many both.
it was both nice and interesting how she intersperses poems written as a child/teen with poems written as an adult. also poems moving between English and French.
the collection includes poems about life and love and loss, sex and relationships, bodies and sexuality, family and parenthood, health and the environment... and many aspects of just being human.
there was alot that felt generational. in part her inclusion of poems written when she was younger created this, tho this alongside writing as a parent and about children, and bringing in both her mother and grandmother in some of the poems. the collection stretches and spans, and starts to speak of time and times.
🕑🕜🕗📖
personally, it was also cool that her poem as an 8 year old was similar to some of mine aged 9/10 - the possibility that I might write more & better yet 😉
📖🕑🕜🕗
accessed as a library audiobook, read by the author 😃
the collection contains poems serious and humorous, and many both.
it was both nice and interesting how she intersperses poems written as a child/teen with poems written as an adult. also poems moving between English and French.
the collection includes poems about life and love and loss, sex and relationships, bodies and sexuality, family and parenthood, health and the environment... and many aspects of just being human.
there was alot that felt generational. in part her inclusion of poems written when she was younger created this, tho this alongside writing as a parent and about children, and bringing in both her mother and grandmother in some of the poems. the collection stretches and spans, and starts to speak of time and times.
🕑🕜🕗📖
personally, it was also cool that her poem as an 8 year old was similar to some of mine aged 9/10 - the possibility that I might write more & better yet 😉
📖🕑🕜🕗
accessed as a library audiobook, read by the author 😃
January 15, 2019
Plum is the debut poetry collection from poet Hollie McNish, although I will say that the content is also quite autobiographical. I really liked the range of ages that were covered throughout the poems featured. Being a teenage can be a rough ride! There were only a couple I really enjoyed and stood out to me as I read, while most I felt were a little disappointing and a little... silly? Overall, I don't think this collection was fully for me!
December 16, 2017
If, like me, you are new to poetry and want to give some a go, try this. Absolutely ace.
May 14, 2018
Loved it! A memoir in poetry ...
June 24, 2017
*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
'Remember that not everyone gets to have grey hairs. Ever. It's a privilege you should not be moaning about. Dye it if you fancy. Just don't moan.'
Witty, humorous, and relatable, Hollie McNish's new collection Plum is a punchy exploration of adolescence, social expectations, friendship, and womanhood.
The anthology contains poems written by McNish when she was a child, teenager, and an adult, covering a wide variety of themes. At the beginning of nearly every poem, the poet notes how old she was when she wrote it and, as a result, the collection has a semblance of chronology, beginning with those written when she was young and ending with those written as an adult. This progression is also reflected in the topics of the poems, which range from young thoughts about the environment and nature, to teenage musings on sex and periods, and finally to a mother's perceptions of her daughter.
Each poem is named after a significant time in the poet's life, and these nuances really give us more understanding of her personality and growth as a woman. Her unashamed discussion of periods in extract from PMT is enjoyably frank:
'You can skip and wear pink and say 'ooh' as your twirl
What a f***ing great laugh it is being a girl
Each month without fail you get spotty and swollen
And you worry all day that a red blotch is showing'
Although this poem delivers significant clout, I felt it could have gone into more depth about sex education and teenage periods, and because we're only given a small extract, the full impact is lost. This is the same with other extracts, whose brevity hampers the complete meaning from being delivered.
The second half of the anthology is where its power lies. The style, words, and ideas all flow better in the poems McNish wrote when she was older. There's more cohesion and, cumulatively, the writing has a greater impact on the reader, delivering messages with punchy vivacity. Take, for example, NO BALL GAMES, which emphatically depicts the restrictions on teenage freedom:
'NO BALL GAMES' signs stuck up in their hordes
in parks, these signs all laugh the same,
'NO OVER 14s' - please go away!
no roundabouts, no swings, no slides,
you'll drink, you'll shag, you'll sit outside!
where teens ride roads, now metal poles
pop up in formal demon drones
'NO SKATEBOARDING', no wheels, no bikes
all public concrete set with spikes
still headlines cry - obesity!
- computer games! - too much TV!
A simple but deceptively potent truth lies in McNish's words, that teens aren't welcome in parks and public spaces in the UK, because they're seen as a threat.
Another poem that rings with truth is Beautiful:
As my friends sit once again chatting about how beautiful Victoria Beckham is
I wonder if they've ever stepped outside and looked at a flower
Or wiped the hatred from their own faces and looked in the mirror
At their own beautiful reflections
Poems such as these two are so powerful, that others fall flat in comparison. Mr Kent is mildly funny but bland, Teammates feels like half a story, missing key elements, and Politicians is dull. The form and rhyme schemes within each poem are often inconsistent (many are in free verse so the rhymes come and go), meaning a poem will start out rhythmically and lose pace half way through, stumbling to a close.
This collection is very much a tale of two halves; half the poems are written when the poet was younger, half when she was older, and half are poignant and striking, while the other half have potential but fail to deliver the same tour de force. Although it's mainly the poems written later that provide the forceful messages we're here to read, these two elements do not always intersect. Some of the early poems are as impressive as the later ones, but in different (less worldly, more gentle) ways.
Plum is a thought-provoking anthology, and one that I want to thrust at men and say 'Read this; it'll be insightful for you'. But I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read it so soon after Kate Tempest's Hold Your Own. Tempest's poetry is so mind-blowingly dynamic and eloquent that any anthology I read after was (perhaps) always going to pale in comparison.
'Remember that not everyone gets to have grey hairs. Ever. It's a privilege you should not be moaning about. Dye it if you fancy. Just don't moan.'
Witty, humorous, and relatable, Hollie McNish's new collection Plum is a punchy exploration of adolescence, social expectations, friendship, and womanhood.
The anthology contains poems written by McNish when she was a child, teenager, and an adult, covering a wide variety of themes. At the beginning of nearly every poem, the poet notes how old she was when she wrote it and, as a result, the collection has a semblance of chronology, beginning with those written when she was young and ending with those written as an adult. This progression is also reflected in the topics of the poems, which range from young thoughts about the environment and nature, to teenage musings on sex and periods, and finally to a mother's perceptions of her daughter.
Each poem is named after a significant time in the poet's life, and these nuances really give us more understanding of her personality and growth as a woman. Her unashamed discussion of periods in extract from PMT is enjoyably frank:
'You can skip and wear pink and say 'ooh' as your twirl
What a f***ing great laugh it is being a girl
Each month without fail you get spotty and swollen
And you worry all day that a red blotch is showing'
Although this poem delivers significant clout, I felt it could have gone into more depth about sex education and teenage periods, and because we're only given a small extract, the full impact is lost. This is the same with other extracts, whose brevity hampers the complete meaning from being delivered.
The second half of the anthology is where its power lies. The style, words, and ideas all flow better in the poems McNish wrote when she was older. There's more cohesion and, cumulatively, the writing has a greater impact on the reader, delivering messages with punchy vivacity. Take, for example, NO BALL GAMES, which emphatically depicts the restrictions on teenage freedom:
'NO BALL GAMES' signs stuck up in their hordes
in parks, these signs all laugh the same,
'NO OVER 14s' - please go away!
no roundabouts, no swings, no slides,
you'll drink, you'll shag, you'll sit outside!
where teens ride roads, now metal poles
pop up in formal demon drones
'NO SKATEBOARDING', no wheels, no bikes
all public concrete set with spikes
still headlines cry - obesity!
- computer games! - too much TV!
A simple but deceptively potent truth lies in McNish's words, that teens aren't welcome in parks and public spaces in the UK, because they're seen as a threat.
Another poem that rings with truth is Beautiful:
As my friends sit once again chatting about how beautiful Victoria Beckham is
I wonder if they've ever stepped outside and looked at a flower
Or wiped the hatred from their own faces and looked in the mirror
At their own beautiful reflections
Poems such as these two are so powerful, that others fall flat in comparison. Mr Kent is mildly funny but bland, Teammates feels like half a story, missing key elements, and Politicians is dull. The form and rhyme schemes within each poem are often inconsistent (many are in free verse so the rhymes come and go), meaning a poem will start out rhythmically and lose pace half way through, stumbling to a close.
This collection is very much a tale of two halves; half the poems are written when the poet was younger, half when she was older, and half are poignant and striking, while the other half have potential but fail to deliver the same tour de force. Although it's mainly the poems written later that provide the forceful messages we're here to read, these two elements do not always intersect. Some of the early poems are as impressive as the later ones, but in different (less worldly, more gentle) ways.
Plum is a thought-provoking anthology, and one that I want to thrust at men and say 'Read this; it'll be insightful for you'. But I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read it so soon after Kate Tempest's Hold Your Own. Tempest's poetry is so mind-blowingly dynamic and eloquent that any anthology I read after was (perhaps) always going to pale in comparison.
October 31, 2017
This book is filled with beautiful poems about growing up, friendships, work, guilt and more. It’s funny, it’s serious, it’s relatable, it’s beautiful.
«You can skip and wear pink and say ‘ooh’ as you twirl
What a fucking great laugh it is to be a girl
Each month without fail you get spotty and swollen
And you worry all day that a red blotch is showing»
«You can skip and wear pink and say ‘ooh’ as you twirl
What a fucking great laugh it is to be a girl
Each month without fail you get spotty and swollen
And you worry all day that a red blotch is showing»
February 5, 2018
This is one of the worst poetry books I've ever read.
I bought Plum because the blurb and cover made it seem like an essential poetry book. On reading it, I felt genuinely cheated out of my money and considered taking it back, but have kept it to remind myself of how terrible poetry can be.
Plum also serves as a reminder that the TS Eliot prize is a completely worthless accolade.
I bought Plum because the blurb and cover made it seem like an essential poetry book. On reading it, I felt genuinely cheated out of my money and considered taking it back, but have kept it to remind myself of how terrible poetry can be.
Plum also serves as a reminder that the TS Eliot prize is a completely worthless accolade.
August 5, 2018
4,3 stars! This poetry book was a lot different than the ones I usually read. More story than rhythm, more stream of consciousness than metaphor. It's more of an easy-read, which is nice. Though I think she is less talented than many other poets, at least she can convey the message which is a big part of writing. I give her credit for that.
Not more stars, because Plum contained a bit too much feminism and puberty stories for my liking.
Side Note: I never expected the title to be a euphemism for vagina, I only discovered that in one of the last poems. Pretty surprising.
Some of my favourite parts:
(Dandelions)
"I love you to the moon and back, Hollie,
But you are no more important than a tree."
(Trap)
"The woods were dressed in autumn"
(And Now He's Going to College)
"Wasted time, never unfroze me,
Can't melt impossibility"
(Naked Insecurities)
Imagination still exists. Confidence is dead."
(Oasis)
My grandma furious that she is still alive and bored"
(While you can still dance)
"The knowledge that death is now surer than any new dream"
(Lady)
"Sometimes she has two sugars,
Other days she's sweet enough."
(Ducks)
"I think I need to stop romanticising animal life"
Favourite poems:
Love
God
Escaping the bullies
Watching miserable-looking couples in the supermarket
Oasis
Not more stars, because Plum contained a bit too much feminism and puberty stories for my liking.
Side Note: I never expected the title to be a euphemism for vagina, I only discovered that in one of the last poems. Pretty surprising.
Some of my favourite parts:
(Dandelions)
"I love you to the moon and back, Hollie,
But you are no more important than a tree."
(Trap)
"The woods were dressed in autumn"
(And Now He's Going to College)
"Wasted time, never unfroze me,
Can't melt impossibility"
(Naked Insecurities)
Imagination still exists. Confidence is dead."
(Oasis)
My grandma furious that she is still alive and bored"
(While you can still dance)
"The knowledge that death is now surer than any new dream"
(Lady)
"Sometimes she has two sugars,
Other days she's sweet enough."
(Ducks)
"I think I need to stop romanticising animal life"
Favourite poems:
Love
God
Escaping the bullies
Watching miserable-looking couples in the supermarket
Oasis
May 18, 2017
'Plum' by Holly McNish
4 stars/ 8 out of 10
I enjoy reading poetry, so was interested in reading this book. The author, Holly McNish, received the Ted Hughes Award in 2016.
The poems included in this volume have been written by the author from her early years up to the present day, and cover a wide range of topics. I enjoyed the explanations that accompanied many of the poems. I found many of the poems thought provoking, and could imagine several of them being performed.
My favourite poems were 'Language Learning', 'Beautiful' and 'Call On Me'.
I very much enjoyed reading this book of Holly McNish's poems. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I have just bought a ticket to see her perform 'live' in a fortnight's time.
Thank you to Pan Macmillan (Picador Poetry) and to NetGalley for an ARC.
4 stars/ 8 out of 10
I enjoy reading poetry, so was interested in reading this book. The author, Holly McNish, received the Ted Hughes Award in 2016.
The poems included in this volume have been written by the author from her early years up to the present day, and cover a wide range of topics. I enjoyed the explanations that accompanied many of the poems. I found many of the poems thought provoking, and could imagine several of them being performed.
My favourite poems were 'Language Learning', 'Beautiful' and 'Call On Me'.
I very much enjoyed reading this book of Holly McNish's poems. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I have just bought a ticket to see her perform 'live' in a fortnight's time.
Thank you to Pan Macmillan (Picador Poetry) and to NetGalley for an ARC.
April 20, 2018
This was definitely a refreshing book of poetry, I felt it was very relevant to today's state of the world and I love how open Hollie is in her writing, it felt like there were no filters whatsoever and she was being honest, and I could picture what she was writing! However, I found I didn't emotionally connect to these poems as much as I had to others, I felt like some were too interpersonal and felt like a general perception rather than feelings, but I'm definitely intrigued to see what other poems the author has written!
August 29, 2018
This collection was just beautiful. Obviously it wasn’t as great as hearing Hollie McNish reading them but it was still freaking amazing! This is a must-read collection for all women I stand by it, the body positivity, the feminism, the thoughts on motherhood in this collection are so realistic, full of doubts and fleeting beautiful moments just like life, I loved it
May 18, 2017
If you've read my review of Whiskey Words & a Shovel by R. H. Sin, you would know that I'm a little hesitant when it comes to picking up poetry books. I am so glad I got to read this one, thanks to the publishers; Picador Poetry, an imprint of Pan MacMillan.
Plum features poems by Hollie McNish about friendship, growing up, and adulthood. I loved this because it not only features her recent poems as an established poet but also some of the ones that she wrote when she was ten years old!
I also find it very empowering as a female. In one of her poems, she wrote about things she had to endure as a white woman with blond hair, and in another, she wrote about harassment from the opposite gender. In these poems, she is angry and demands her voice to be heard, not just because she is a female but because she is a human who deserves to be treated with respect like everyone else.
Her style of writing was what caught me, and kept me reading. I could almost imagine her on stage, hearing her voice in my head. Hollie definitely has presence. This is of course, not a surprise as she is also a spoken word artist. Readers who are familiar with it will certainly see the influence in seeping through the pages of Plum. I've never seen her perform, but upon finishing this, I will look her up on YouTube, that's for sure!
So now I will leave you with a snippet of one of the poems that I really liked from Plum to entice you into reading the book...
"we get off on the gore
we say we love the petals and the perfume
and the romance but we are so obsessed with the thorns"
Plum features poems by Hollie McNish about friendship, growing up, and adulthood. I loved this because it not only features her recent poems as an established poet but also some of the ones that she wrote when she was ten years old!
I also find it very empowering as a female. In one of her poems, she wrote about things she had to endure as a white woman with blond hair, and in another, she wrote about harassment from the opposite gender. In these poems, she is angry and demands her voice to be heard, not just because she is a female but because she is a human who deserves to be treated with respect like everyone else.
Her style of writing was what caught me, and kept me reading. I could almost imagine her on stage, hearing her voice in my head. Hollie definitely has presence. This is of course, not a surprise as she is also a spoken word artist. Readers who are familiar with it will certainly see the influence in seeping through the pages of Plum. I've never seen her perform, but upon finishing this, I will look her up on YouTube, that's for sure!
So now I will leave you with a snippet of one of the poems that I really liked from Plum to entice you into reading the book...
"we get off on the gore
we say we love the petals and the perfume
and the romance but we are so obsessed with the thorns"
April 28, 2019
As stated in the summary (which puts it best): “This is a book about growing up, about guilt, flesh, fruit, friendships, work and play.” It’s a powerful collection of poetry that describes what it means to grow up. There are a lot of interjections from the younger self to reveal earlier and later observations. It’s a journey of reflection for the reader and the writer. The tone changes from funny to serious in a matter of seconds so it keeps you on your toes. Although it focuses a lot on female challenges, anyone can take something away from the poetry. And especially prevalent for middle schoolers: the puberty. This is a topic they are going through and can draw helpful tips from.
This narration is unique because it’s seemingly autobiographical, but it jumps back and forth in time so the author can add commentary. It has a lot of lessons in these sense. It’s cool to see how the author engages with the reader the entire text, which is a unique perspective that middle schoolers may not read a whole lot. It obviously has a strong sense of voice, which students can use as a mentor text for their own poetry.
It would be helpful to have students write their own poetry about events from their life. Maybe it’s moments as a kid they are reflecting on now, or something they might want to work through using poetry as an outlet. There could be some introductory writing prompts about regrettable moments, their family/life history, or how they stand out from everyone else. I would want to emphasize, just like the author of plum, that poetry is a great way to work through tough situations, especially puberty.
This narration is unique because it’s seemingly autobiographical, but it jumps back and forth in time so the author can add commentary. It has a lot of lessons in these sense. It’s cool to see how the author engages with the reader the entire text, which is a unique perspective that middle schoolers may not read a whole lot. It obviously has a strong sense of voice, which students can use as a mentor text for their own poetry.
It would be helpful to have students write their own poetry about events from their life. Maybe it’s moments as a kid they are reflecting on now, or something they might want to work through using poetry as an outlet. There could be some introductory writing prompts about regrettable moments, their family/life history, or how they stand out from everyone else. I would want to emphasize, just like the author of plum, that poetry is a great way to work through tough situations, especially puberty.
September 14, 2025
From 'Body: I. Head'
I remember faeries clearly
Sneaking out of forest doors
My memory is flawed for sue, I know
And my daydreams still sometimes overflow
- thankfully -
Because this thing upon my neck
Has carried me to places
I have never been
I liked the idea behind this book: poems written at different ages, put together in one collection. Some connections between what 8-year-old Hollie wrote and what her current self writes, are fascinating to see. I liked the background we received for some of the poems, and I almost wish there was a bit more of it. It's rare to have a writer's opinion on their own writing in a book.
I enjoyed some poems, thought a few were very poignant and lovely, but did not care for quite a few as well. I'm glad I read this collection, but I don't think I will return to it any time soon.
I remember faeries clearly
Sneaking out of forest doors
My memory is flawed for sue, I know
And my daydreams still sometimes overflow
- thankfully -
Because this thing upon my neck
Has carried me to places
I have never been
I liked the idea behind this book: poems written at different ages, put together in one collection. Some connections between what 8-year-old Hollie wrote and what her current self writes, are fascinating to see. I liked the background we received for some of the poems, and I almost wish there was a bit more of it. It's rare to have a writer's opinion on their own writing in a book.
I enjoyed some poems, thought a few were very poignant and lovely, but did not care for quite a few as well. I'm glad I read this collection, but I don't think I will return to it any time soon.
dnf
October 9, 2024Book Blog | Storygraph | Fable | X | Instagram
DNF at 50%
No hard feelings with this collection, just didn't feel compelled to continue. I quite liked the inclusion of poems she wrote as a child contrasting with the more recent ones.
DNF at 50%
No hard feelings with this collection, just didn't feel compelled to continue. I quite liked the inclusion of poems she wrote as a child contrasting with the more recent ones.
April 17, 2020
I really enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook. McNish has a fantastic flow as she reads her own work. I found the poems from her younger self a little disjointed and engaged more with her later works. I listened to the book twice, and I look forward to reading a hardcopy to further experience and reflect on her words
March 17, 2025
A celebration, a salute to a life in which we are always growing, stumbling, falling, changing and discovering new selves. Adulthood intertwined with reflections of childhood and the past. Beautifully created, an ode to living as a woman.
February 16, 2018
Listened to on audiobook
August 4, 2022
3⭐ - it was enjoyable
I'm quite a picky when it comes to poetry, but this was one I actually liked.
Not great, but I've found the themes of womenhood being something I like when well done 👌
I'm quite a picky when it comes to poetry, but this was one I actually liked.
Not great, but I've found the themes of womenhood being something I like when well done 👌
December 4, 2023
I’ve never been able to enjoy poetry, until I read Hollie McNish. I especially love listening to her voice, it’s so soothing. Her content is so relatable, and her writing is just exquisite!
June 27, 2025
even when hollie mcnish writes something devastating, it’s joyful. love love love.
December 22, 2018
I saw Hollie McNish perform her poetry when I studied abroad in Edinburgh, and she became one of my favorites right away. So fun to have poems from her childhood and teen years.
June 21, 2017
I saw this author on television, on 'meet the Author' and when James Naughtie let her get a word in edgeways she was articulate, funny and attractive - just like her poems. So I was inspired to get and read this, her latest collection. It is a most enjoyable collection of poems, which cry out to be performed, or at least read aloud. They cover many of the concerns of adolescence and young adulthood, as well as motherhood and later concerns. Hollie writes with a lot of wit as well as insight, and she includes some poems she wrote when she was a child, some written when she was only eight, and then her later reflections upon them now she is in her thirties. There are some very personal and physical subjects, and some swearing, but it is almost all done with a light touch. Strongly recommended.
Incidentally there are actually 125 pages in the paperback edition, not 80.
Incidentally there are actually 125 pages in the paperback edition, not 80.
August 23, 2020
A collection of throwbacks for the British. I especially loved the parts about the importance of language and vocabulary in creating equality.
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August 29, 2019Funny and honest. As Kate Tempest said, 'she points our the absurdities we've grown too used to and lets us see the world with fresh eyes.'
October 17, 2018
I’m going to be honest, this is the first collection of Hollie’s that I’ve ever read. In fact, before I picked up Plum in Waterstones, I had never even heard the name ‘Hollie McNish’ and you know what?
Five pages in, I realised just what I’d been missing. My only regret about reading Plum is that I didn’t read it sooner. Cheesy perhaps, but true. I also find it strange the way you discover a new favourite writer sometimes. What made me grab a copy of Plum from the bookshelf was the fact that the front cover is purple and purple is my favourite colour. Maybe this is a technique I should employ often when I’m shopping for books. Anyway, I’m rambling as per usual so let’s crack on with the review, shall we?
Okay, slightly more rambling.
I’ve just finished my dissertation (which was about how creative writing can ease anxiety within language learners) and two articles that I read while researching really struck a chord with me. One article talked about how one of the many misconceptions about poetry is that it’s meant to be difficult. Poems are meant to be layered in hidden meanings and are meant to scare us common folk off with the fear of “not getting it”. Another article talked about how poetry studied within schools very often puts students off for life, the poems they’re forced to study having been written by centuries-dead, white, middle-aged men. The priorities of these poets are not in line with the priorities of people trying to get through everyday life in the 21st century and, as a result, these 21st century people see poetry as something that’s irrelevant to their lives. What can poetry, of all things, possibly do for them?
Well, in Plum, Hollie shows her readers that they’re not alone in their frustrations and fears. In a society where we can sometimes feel like the loneliest person on Earth despite being connected to one another 24/7 through social media, that’s just what we need sometimes, right? Plum is filled with poems, written at various stages throughout Hollie’s life, that say the things that we all want to say but don’t. We take to social media and post pictures of our pets and nights out. We show an idealised version of our lives but we remain silent about the things that anger and worry us. To the new mums whose hearts are heavy with worry at the prospect of protecting and raising their babies in this terrifying world. To the people who blink back the burn of fresh tears as they type “I’m fine” into their phones. To the mums pressured into feeding their babies under ‘modesty’ bibs because society can’t help but sexualise a nipple. To the people pressured and forced into sex or sexual acts. To people angered by the deifying of ‘celebrities’. To the people angered by the chemical abuse that the Earth has been subjected to.
You are not alone. That is what poetry can do for 21st century people. It shows people that they are not alone.
Plum is a bridge of words between Hollie and her readers. Plum is refreshing in its raw honesty. Plum is relevant. Plum is a must read.
Five pages in, I realised just what I’d been missing. My only regret about reading Plum is that I didn’t read it sooner. Cheesy perhaps, but true. I also find it strange the way you discover a new favourite writer sometimes. What made me grab a copy of Plum from the bookshelf was the fact that the front cover is purple and purple is my favourite colour. Maybe this is a technique I should employ often when I’m shopping for books. Anyway, I’m rambling as per usual so let’s crack on with the review, shall we?
Okay, slightly more rambling.
I’ve just finished my dissertation (which was about how creative writing can ease anxiety within language learners) and two articles that I read while researching really struck a chord with me. One article talked about how one of the many misconceptions about poetry is that it’s meant to be difficult. Poems are meant to be layered in hidden meanings and are meant to scare us common folk off with the fear of “not getting it”. Another article talked about how poetry studied within schools very often puts students off for life, the poems they’re forced to study having been written by centuries-dead, white, middle-aged men. The priorities of these poets are not in line with the priorities of people trying to get through everyday life in the 21st century and, as a result, these 21st century people see poetry as something that’s irrelevant to their lives. What can poetry, of all things, possibly do for them?
Well, in Plum, Hollie shows her readers that they’re not alone in their frustrations and fears. In a society where we can sometimes feel like the loneliest person on Earth despite being connected to one another 24/7 through social media, that’s just what we need sometimes, right? Plum is filled with poems, written at various stages throughout Hollie’s life, that say the things that we all want to say but don’t. We take to social media and post pictures of our pets and nights out. We show an idealised version of our lives but we remain silent about the things that anger and worry us. To the new mums whose hearts are heavy with worry at the prospect of protecting and raising their babies in this terrifying world. To the people who blink back the burn of fresh tears as they type “I’m fine” into their phones. To the mums pressured into feeding their babies under ‘modesty’ bibs because society can’t help but sexualise a nipple. To the people pressured and forced into sex or sexual acts. To people angered by the deifying of ‘celebrities’. To the people angered by the chemical abuse that the Earth has been subjected to.
You are not alone. That is what poetry can do for 21st century people. It shows people that they are not alone.
Plum is a bridge of words between Hollie and her readers. Plum is refreshing in its raw honesty. Plum is relevant. Plum is a must read.
February 26, 2019
Read this coz I read a Guardian article about New Gen poetry, its popularity, the polemic surrounding it. Is it literature? Is it crafted -- or just churned out? Is it spontaneous, heartfelt, commercial -- or is it careful, thoughtful art? I'm not sure what it is but Hollie McNish certainly has a gift for rhythm, for performance + for describing ordinary life like it is. Plum mixes poems she wrote as a child with recent writings, a sort of dialogue between versions of herself. Much of it explores teenage and young person's stuff (first bra, blow jobs, periods), some of which, quite frankly, I am no longer all that interested in. I did enjoy some of the more political poems, like the one about her 18 year old self watching snobby politicians on the news, and the one about plastic bottles polluting the sea + our general indifference,. There's an excellent one called Watching Miserable-looking Couples in the Supermarket about long-term relationships which is right on the money; and another called Frozen, about a stressed out mum in a miserable relationship, who comes to an unspecified sticky end. McNish does pack a powerful punch a lot of the time and many of the poems are memorable. But are they worthy of close study? Would reading and re-reading reveal hidden depths/ambiguity? How much care does she take over craft? Does this matter? Is this what would make it 'literature'? I get the feeling much of the work is written in bursts of inspiration, guided very much by spoken rhythm and as has been said, honesty and getting to the heart of the matter are more important than the constraints of form (or even beat). When she performs (on You Tube), I'm struck by how rhythm is dictated by the staccato syllables of spoken English. Monosyllabic words are often preferred adding to the punchy beat -- but there's the feeling that the crafting is instinctive rather than consciously applied through multiple drafting and editing. Last lines are often rhythmically unexpected -- like a coda at the end of a piece of music that already feels as if it's reached a conclusion. Often these last lines give some sort of meaningful ending to the poems, sense-wise, but feel out of place in terms of beat. Is this deliberate? Who knows? Finally, although 40% of the m/s was apparently discarded, I I felt the collection could have been whittled down even further, concentrating its strength. Whatever, Hollie McNish has brought something new and fresh to the scene and if the world is still here in 100 years time may still be worth reading as a record of today's youthful concerns and obsessions, and the way we live now.
September 5, 2018
A delicious book that tickles your tongue as effectively as the fruit that gives the volume its title.
McNish is famed for her spoken word pieces. Some are satirical. Most are politically astute.
I was curious to see how her powerful rhythmic style translated into the written form.
Despite the faux naif simplicity, make no mistake, this work has been crafted with wit and intelligence.
In 'Plum' the author pays tribute to her younger self, the early writer, or the child-poet. This makes the work instantly relatable. For readers who wanted people to listen to them when they were younger, here is someone being listened to.
Most of the pieces are written in the first person. Those that aren't, retain a proximity to the narrator. Make no mistake, this is Hollie we are reading about, she tells us so in several places. We learn about her family, her insecurities, irreverence, her schooldays. There is teen love, sex, both safe and unsafe. We see how McNish saw herself as frozen in her youth, and how she despises the Disney enterprise Frozen. We are taken on a tour around her body. We learn while her daughter does, how the incumbent Prime Minister inserted his penis into the mouth of a dead pig.
Even if what we're reading is a fiction, the artifice is maintained effectively throughout.
McNish was the recipient of the Ted Hughes award in 2017. 'Plum' demonstrates why this writer deserves the accolade and many more besides.
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