Thrive

by J.J. Eden

A collection of poetry and micro-fiction capturing all the grit and glory of life: odes to the highs, laments to the lows, reality under a lens and pure flights of fantasy for when you want to escape. This little book is for anyone who has ever felt the chaos of life overwhelm them but clings to the will to thrive anyway.

83 pages, Paperback

Published December 9, 2019

About the author

J J Eden is the author and illustrator of Thrive - a collection of poetry and prose that attempts to capture the beautiful chaos of life. She lives and works in South Manchester, writing for a living as well as for pleasure. A passionate mental health advocate, she also volunteers her time with ECBC Manchester, a local not-for-profit supporting people living with mental illness in the local area. Her personal blog, Thrive In Chaos, was the starting point for her debut collection and features some of her poetry and prose, as well as book and theatre reviews, thought pieces and random musings on the world and life in general. Her poetry has also been published in the Hidden Voice Anthology: Volume 1. She spends far to much time on Instagram, has more books than she really needs (but won't let that stop her collecting more), and loves the arts in all their forms (with ballet being a particular favourite). She lives with her husband and their springer spaniel - both of whom are equally bonkers.

Reviews

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly imperfect.

J. J. Eden has given us an imperfect collection of thoughts and feelings. I found one line that really resonated with me"authors write what we feel." I think in this collection we will find a little of our feelings. An amazing read.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe it took me over a year to finally finish this book. Poetry is still a genre that I am discovering for myself, one that I want to take my time with and not rush through in a hurry. I’m also a terrible mood reader, hence the growing list of books I’ve started to read.
I soon realized when reading Thrive that I just couldn’t leave through but rather wanted to reflect and return to certain pages (- it’s now addled with post-its).
Jennifer manages to capture struggles and observations with such a beautiful prose that the words melt on your tongue like chocolate. At a point I started to read them aloud and this poetry collections wants to spoken and heard.
I enjoyed immersing myself in the short tales and poems and some I will return back to again and again because they hit such a chord with me (especially Divinity, Survivor & Pour Your Soul)

Read this if you want to feel the touch of warmth, comfort and understanding. Read it aloud while sitting in front of a fire or while rocking gently with your feet in the air on a swing. You will not regret it.

Thanks for sharing your words with us!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A genuinely beautiful book- the poems were fantastic, with some making me feel all kind of ways; the short fiction was stellar (I *loved* the universe argument) and the drawings that dot each page are wonderful accompaniments to wonderful fiction. I’m very privileged to have read a proof copy and Ms Eden has done a BRILLIANT job- very well done!!!!

[Catherine Rowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of thought-provoking words which create lasting images. I feel privileged to know the author and can hear her voice and sense her character in every word and illustration. I will read this over and over

[Emma Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful mix of poetry and short stories. I am left wanting more. The acorn short story broke me.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of this book stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. More than just a collection of musings and linguistic experiments, it’s sometimes funny, sometimes painful honesty makes it a cathartic read and one in which every reader can find a little bit of them in. What a debut.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to give my time to words that could have been meagre but most definitely weren’t. An enchanting and introspective read. Time well spent.

[Aminah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly I just want to say I adore this book cover.
It was sure a continous page turner for me.
There were so many different emotions I felt while reading each poem, this is definetly a book that I will always come back to re -read.
I really like the short fiction prose stories and I love how the write talked about the world, nature with a little trinkets love and heartbreak.

[Dreena Collins]

Fantastical and yet tangible - this is magic realism at its truest; Angela Carter meets William Carlos Williams. The whole collection seems to remind us of what is important. Of nature and life, matched with a skilful use of language and truly original style. Simply beautiful.

[Karalee Shotola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted a copy of Thrive by J.J. Eden, which is a collection of poetry about the beautiful chaos of life. The poems vary in length from 5 lines to a whole page, and each poem includes a black and white illustration, which I thought was a nice touch. Thrive is a wonderful collection of beautiful poems, and you can definitely find ones that resonate with you. I recommend Thrive if you enjoy reading poetry, and it is also great to pick up every now and then and read a few poems.