Chloe

by Kristina Haynes

“Chloe is brave and raw, adolescence mixed with salt. These poems are about how hungry we’ve been, how foolish, how lonely. Chloe is not quite girl nor woman, full of awkward bravery. Kristina is an electric voice that pulls Chloe apart page after page, her heartbreaks, her too many drinks, her romantic experiences of pleasure and pain. Chloe and Kristina make a perfect team to form an anthem for girls everywhere, an anthem that reassures us we deserve to take up space. Indeed, when I met Chloe, I too thought, This is the closest I’ve been to anybody in months.” —Meggie Royer, Author of Survival Songs & Healing Old Wounds with New Stitches

Genres: Poetry

110 pages, ebook

First published February 11, 2015

About the author

Kristina Haynes does not have an inside voice. She is an actress and sometimes-poet from Pennsylvania. Some of her work has appeared previously in Words Dance Magazine, SpliceLit, The New Old Stock, Winter Tangerine Review and more. She has two published collections of poetry, It Looked a Lot Like Love (Where Are You Press, 2013) and Chloe (Words Dance Publishing, 2015). She plans to eventually move to New York City and make strangers cry at piano bars. According to her, you can have your cake and eat it whenever you want.

Reviews

[Trista Mateer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe was a book I didn't even know I needed until I sat down and read the entire thing in one sitting.

I think that the dedication sums this book up pretty well. Kristina Haynes writes "for Chloe, naturally, yours & mine". That's it. That's the book. She's writing to herself and to me and to you and to everybody with a little Chloe in them. A little passion. A little lost. A little youth wrapped up in forgiveness.

And if you're not familiar with any of her other work, Kristina Haynes writes with a voice effortlessly clawing out a place for itself. She writes clear and honest in a way that demands to be heard. If you haven't already made some shelf space for her, you're going to.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Chloe, here's the thing: you are only good at love when it's beginning // or it's ending"

This collection of poetry follows Chloe, a character who is made up of pieces of all of us. Chloe is a disaster, but at least her lipstick matches her nails. She isn't really sure what love is, she makes a lot of bad decisions - but ultimately, she's a fascinating character.

I've never read a collection quite like this before. All the poems in this book follow Chloe's adventures, whether she's out partying, drunkenly calling her exes or even getting married - and whilst it isn't a cohesive narrative, it all fits together like a crazy jigsaw puzzle, showing us Chloe in her entirety. Mistakes, desperate desire for forgiveness and so much heart.

If you're looking for poetry that follows a character rather than a real person's experiences, this one definitely fits the bill. Many people feel poetry should be 'relatable' to them in order to be good - that's an understandable feeling, but I feel as though reading poems in this way kind of negates that. You can appreciate a character without necessarily relating to them in every way, and I definitely felt that about Chloe. Although I did see many parts of myself in her, there were parts which I didn't relate to - and I enjoyed reading them anyway.

I'd definitely recommend this collection, it's unique and interesting and overall just a great read!

[The Book Slayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2,5 stars. These poems were okay, sure, but I didn't relate to the whole Chloe gimmick (I think the poems would have worked better if she just addressed girls in general instead of pulling a Sasha Fierce out of her a**) and at times it didn't even seem like poetry, but more like lists of things pulled from an average novel or something. One exception that I actually liked was "Chloe is a Millennial". Overall though, not my thing.

[Cecilie K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine messaged me saying "Have you read Chloe by Kristina Haynes? I think you'll love it."

Eratic Chloe who is picking herself a part and looking at the pieces reminds me a lot of myself and a lot of the women I have known throughout the years and she contains such a raw element of womanhood in her this does not surprise me in the slightest.

I did love Chloe, I love her so much I find it hard to put words on it.
It's a window into the shameful parts, the soft parts and the hard parts of trying to figure out how to plant both feet on the ground and start walking towards a future where you know who you are and what you want.

I messaged at least 4 friends after reading this saying "Have you read Chloe by Kristina Haynes? I think you'll love it."

[Colleen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful books of poetry that I’ve read in a very long time. I am not surprised that this book written by Kristina is amazing, because everything that Kristina writes always hits me right in the heart, but only in a tender and inspirational way. From the beautiful poems, to the dreamy illustrations, you will not stop trying to figure out who Chloe is for yourself. But there really is a Chloe in all of us. This book is full of beautifully raw, beautifully tender and thought-provoking pieces that will make you not only wonder who Chloe is, but who you are as well. You and Chloe learn to together, as well as grow together.

[Fortesa Latifi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe is a beautiful, heart-wrenching, revolutionary volume of poetry. In exploring Chloe's life, we explore our own and find Kristina giving voice to our most personal thoughts that have never before been spoken aloud. Here, Kristina has captured something absolutely essential to the young adult female experience. It is aching and we are trying. I cannot recommend this book enough. It also doesn't hurt that physically, the book is absolutely gorgeous.

[Margaryta · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Chloe" is beautifully simple but incredibly honest to the point where, as you go through each poem, you see more and more of yourself in Chloe and in the words on the page. It's raw and honest, the kind of poetry everyone needs once in a while, the kind I like to pull up late at night when I'm having many of the same thoughts that Chloe had. I was reminded once again of the beautiful bitterness that defines people, and I loved every bit of it.

[Kalamos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Chloe" could be any girl, and you probably know someone like her. Reading this collection, you get to feel the pains and joys of being a girl, of getting your heart broken, of growing up. Sometimes it felt like peeking into someone else's window: unsettling yet thrilling.
Above all, Kristina Haynes manages to turn mundane into beautiful.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book I want to live inside. It's hard-hitting and beautifully composed. Kristina's work makes it apparent that she is a poet who puts time and effort into her poems. Chloe is no exception. You can tell how carefully the book was loved before being released to others. I wish I had written this book.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection poems about a fictional woman named Chloe, each poem is paired with a black and white drawing, related to the poems. While these poems don't dive deep into things, they are still easy to connect with and the book is a quick read.

from Chloe is Writing Poetry Again: "But she writes. / Compares her heart to the size of a fist. Describes / everything as being something else. Mourns / the loss of love, but also the finding of it. / Talks bout her solitude, her violet lips. / Falls in love just for the poetry."

from Chloe if He Isn't Calling: "then / it's okay to feel // destroyed / over a boy / but remember // he did you a favor / i know you think this is the end / // but it is also a beginning / it is also cleaning up // after yourself / you can't keep / crawling inside // other people"

from Chloe is So Sad: "She crosses / her fingers behind her back when she says / she'll never bother them again. Inside of her / it is hurricane season and she presses her lips / together to keep the rain in."

[Barton Smock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe, collected, is the mantra of a childless mantra. Is the mantra mistaken for what it is: the giant child, the child giant, in an infancy bereft of nursery.

(from Chloe Stop: 'A girl on the street saw you after and turned to say something to her mother. For just a second, you forgot where you were and looked for yours.')

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristina Haynes's words crawl under your skin and leave you shuddering from their power. I had to limit myself to reading only a few poems a day so I could make the experience last longer.

[Camilla Haahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe was born with her eyes open
which means she can see through your bullshit.