The Mountain

by Laura Ding-Edwards

“A day is not a lifetime, a rest is not defeat, don’t think of it as failure, just a quiet, kind retreat” - The Mountain Tackling mental health, relationships, bullying, body image, hate, love and everything in between; this first collection of poetry and prose from Laura Ding-Edwards focusses on the importance of being human, in its rawest, purest forms; this book doesn’t have the answers to our most intricate complexities, but it does reassure you that you are only human, after all. Feedback from Followers “Woven within her evocative words are teachings that give life to the places within us only few dare to breathe” “Like having a best friend sit quietly beside you and whisper ‘everything will be ok’” “Your words have more impact than you know; they have saved my life at times”

Genres: Poetry

124 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2019

Reviews

[Diane Wareing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing books of poems that just speak to me so much. When I feel down, or that nobody understands me, then just to dip in and read some life-affirming words really helps me.
Laura seems to know the exact words to describe how so many of us are feeling.
A wonderful book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book that doesn’t mask feelings but makes you think about them differently. I’m not normally a fan of poetry but this is beautifully done. If in doubt, read this book.

[Caryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before I get into this review proper, it must be said that I am in no way well-read in poetry, it’s not something I often lean to. This was given to me as a gift by my mother as like the author I, too, suffer with anxiety and have been diagnosed with depression. The themes of this book should really have spoken to me, I felt, given the shared experiences. It did not.

The most striking issue I had with this book is that it felt unfinished and unedited. It felt like a first draft. The writing is ill thought out and the ideas are often left trailing. There’s little development of techniques. The substance is lacking. It all just fell very flat.

I wanted this to really move me. I wanted the words to be beautiful and heartfelt. I want the imagery to be bold and embracing. I got nothing of the sort.

And then moving away from the poetry into the author’s prose, there was no improvement. In fact, if anything, the content and quality worsened for me. It felt like a matter of fact self help book which slapped me in the face with derivative themes.

A big disappointment all round for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poetry in this book was wonderful. I'd read Laura Ding-Edwards' poem 'The Mountain' on social media and I was delighted to discover the rest of the poetry in this book was just as good. As someone living with health problems the poems in this book sung to me.
The second half of the book was full of prose and whilst I am sure that many readers found it helpful, personally it was not something that I enjoyed.

[Beth Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is my new comfort read. Anytime I'm feeling overly stressed, or upset, or riddled with depression and anxiety, I am going to come back to this poetry and prose collection. I related to so many entries in this book. Absolutely amazing

[Kj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book of poetry. Raw, real, emotional, relatable.

[Poppy Jayne Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book to read when anxious. Very calming and refreshing

[Miss D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody should read this!

I loved this more than I can describe. If you have someone in your life who needs to know they are not alone when feeling blue please buy them this book!