My Father's Daughter

by Lily Lawson

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B08BKDZ5ZB

"An excerpt from Autopsy, by Lily Lawson -

If, as time moves on,
the words that I have shared
remain with you,
and call you back
to read them once again
my work is done. "

My Father’s Daughter, a collection of poems ranging from lighthearted to heart-rending. captures Lily Lawson’s thoughtful observations about life and love.

ebook

First published June 20, 2020

About the author

Hi I'm Lily

‘The non poetry lovers’ poet’.

I hail from North Yorkshire and live in the Northeast.

I write poetry, kids' books, short stories, and non-fiction.

In addition to my books I have been published in anthologies and online.

I love music and I'm never far from being behind a camera.

I am currently studying for a degree with the Open University.

My vices are chocolate and Twitter/X. (@lifelovelily22)

I'm probably the most random person you will ever meet.

Find me on Substack Life with Lily - One sentence at a time or my website - Lily's Writing Life.

Everyone needs some Lily in their life!

Reviews

[Kathleen Cranidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel I know the poet, I love the poet as I read the beautiful words. So insightful, vulnerable, and filled with compassion. This endearing book of life is like a handbook with emotion. When reading you feel the experience and relate to the brevity, honesty and empathy as it touches on all stages of life and awareness. My list is all, but I particularly enjoyed and felt “Sometimes”, “The Love of my Life”, “The Spaces In-between”, and “I’m Sorry.” I highly recommend this one. One of my favourite lines from this genuine poet, “We love each other in the spaces in-between.”

[Despoina Kemeridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the poems in the first 70% of the book but didn't enjoy the rest as much because I couldn't really connect to them. Overall, it's a book of GREAT poetry that I highly recommend!

My favorite poems were "Darkness", "Keep Going", and "There’s A Very Pleasant Feeling".

My favorite lines:
"Some spend the night time hours,
waiting for the coming dawn,
but in the throes of darkness,
I can feel myself reborn."

[R.S. Jonesee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily Lawson sure knows how to make a reader visualize the scenes and emotions lurking inside her poetry. Within My Father’s Daughter are poems that will resonate with a time or feeling in your life, making you relive the experience, and perhaps look at it through a different lens.

My three favorite Lawson poems are:

What We Found on Holiday—a poetic scene that shows a longing for what we all wish we could do—go on vacation and be wrapped up in our partner, truly being in the “now” with that person. With the madcap world we live in, the serenity of this scene hit home with me.

Clear Ahead—I may be biased with this poem since the eight lines of positive affirmation seemed to be written for me (isn’t that what a good poem does?). I’m at a point in my life where I needed this, so the words resonated on a deep level and caused me to feel stronger.

There’s a Very Pleasant Feeling—calls on my love of any body of water, that feeling it brings to my soul. Lawson made me feel the power of the rushing river and its healing power.

I highly suggest you devour this book of 30+ poems for some feel-goods.

I was given a free copy of My Father’s Daughter but unreservedly give this review and recommendation.

[Rue Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily Lawson brings us a beautiful collection of poems that are witty, inspiring and empathetic to what it means to be human. I breezed through it, then immediately had to read it again and bookmark my favorites.

What I love is she takes complex concepts and brings it down to cunning and intricate prose. There are so many poems that resonate with a feeling which I previously had no words for. It's amazing how she creates scenes that speak so much to my own memories, despite living halfway across the world. It's poetry that describes universal human experiences, so there's something for everyone.

My favorites include: Autopsy, The Door of Emotion, The Modern World, Keep Going, Navigation—Basically half the book!

Well worth the read, and I can't wait to read more by Lawson!

[Lotous Michalopoulou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read poems dealing with deep subjects
I read these lovely poems in one go.
They made me think and weep and laugh.
Thank you Lily Lawson for sharing your work with us. I am looking forward to read more of your writings.

[Nina Romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Father’s Daughter is a poetry collection to savor and read over and over again. I enjoyed the heightened language which is so fitting and adds depth and gravitas to the poems. I’m a huge fan of free verse. Free verse doesn’t use a rhyme scheme nor does it have a fixed metrical pattern. It’s natural, mimicking speech patterns, cadences, even repetitions.

I especially liked the free verse poetry in this grouping of poems because it utilizes in inventive ways the use of sound. It’s also imagistic and plays with an assortment of literary devices. I do like some meter, internal rhyme, slant rhyme occasionally. However, in general, I’m not crazy about rhyming poetry, although Lawson does this very well. So Kudos! and Brava! to a delightful poet and her lovely anthology!

[Elise Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many snippets of feels, and peeks at moments of time. From a punctuation poem that made me smile, to calls to pause, reflect, take action, to appreciate life and make the most of it. A good read for anyone wishing to pause, imagine, remember and think and feel about what it is to be human. Or to escape to a scene of another's life, and walk a vivid moment in someone else's shoes.

[Jan Maple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of poetry I've read by Lily and I loved this book as much as the first.

Lily's poems are all so heartfelt and genuine, with insights that make you think "yes, that could apply to my life."

For example, "The Modern World" makes you stop and think that we are indeed spending so much time on social media that we are losing "real" connections with people; others have said this I know but the poem says it simply and powerfully.

Then there are poems such as "Oh You" and "You Know Who You Are" that speak to the support that we can find from others and poems such as "I'm Sorry" that resonate with many who have ever argued with a loved one.

Then there are deeply personal poems such as "The Love of My Life" or simple, short poems such as "Time".

All in all, I would very much recommend to anyone who likes genuine, simple poems that speak to the heart.

[Kimberly Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an unexpected read.
I am not normally a poetry reader--which is sad because I would have missed out on this book. I loved so many--but Breath made me smile. Keep Going and Navigation touched me deeply. I think that I will keep going back to this book--I seem to find something special each time.

[Dreena Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something about this collection that feels both simple and pure, and yet crafted. There are some charming, sincere rhymes of love and gratitude - but my personal favourite poems were more somber and in free verse, such as The Winter Beyond My Window. An accessible read, yet the words will stay with you.

[Cheryl Burman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of heartfelt poems which the reader can very much relate to. Easy to read, they leave you with a sense of careful optimism, and a feeling of having met the author and knowing you like her very much.

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very personal experience.

In this collection we are introduced to Lily Lawson. She shows us how she sees her world. She also shows us how she feels about the way her world is changing around her.

[Fi Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-crafted collection of poems features memories and moments that anyone can connect with. From love, to family, to captured moments of just-being. Beautiful.

[Jay Batista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Chapbook of Poetry -- This collection is well worth time and contemplation.

While I preferred Ms. Lawson's free verse, such as in her piece, 'The Winter beyond my Window,' her rhyming couplets were quite well crafted and some even brought a smile to my face with their creativity and insight. The author has mastered her craft, providing memorable lines that linger in your thoughts, which is what good poetry is supposed to do, right?

My favorite poem was 'One breath,' which I read a second time aloud because I enjoyed its meter and it made me laugh aloud.

I would highly recommend this book.

[Karen Honnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily’s poetry is both accessible and thought provoking - a difficult balance to achieve, yet masterfully done here. Favourites? Always difficult to choose but for now, I’ll say ‘My Favourite Vase,’ ‘Sky’ & ‘A Chance to Dance.’ As I’ll return to the book again, I may well change my favourites!
A highly recommended poetry book.

[Christina Schad Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took Lily Lawson 40 years to give us this beautiful collection of her “Words, Words, Words.” Please don’t make us wait so long for more, more, more. I promise as you read you will see yourself in every verse. Brilliant!

[Mrs Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always like a poem that ‘speaks’ to me

Some of these could have been taken from my life and I love that they are so beautiful and so universal.

[Rashmi P. Menon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily Lawson's poetry book 'My Father's Daughter' is a collection of contemporary poems. The set of poems included reveals the poet's thoughts about love, heartbreak, loneliness especially in the modern world, self-discovery and acceptance. I would say that I loved almost all of the poems, but will have to mention some of my favorites from the collection: Darkness, The Modern World, My Favorite Vase, LBD, Borders, The Olive Branch, and There's a Very Pleasant Feeling. Of all these, Darkness was my most favorite poem. I also must mention Words, Words, Words for the Shakespearan tribute (being a Shakespeare fan I couldn't miss giving this poem a shoutout!). I also enjoyed Against My Will for its powerful rendition. What I found most interesting about Lawson's poems is their relatability and emotional depth. As you can read from the multiple reviews, the poet has the ability to show emotional vulnerability in a way that not only makes it relatable but leaves the reader with a feeling of having gone through it themselves.
If you love contemporary poetry, then you must pick up 'My Father's Daughter' and give it a read. My rating - 4.5 stars out 5 rounded up.

[Daisy Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I connected and empathised with everything within the pages of this book. Lily Lawson, lays every emotion out bear, and I felt every one of them. This beautiful compendium of poetry will tug at your heartstrings, make you laugh, cry, but most of all, will make you think and remember. For me, I could relate to everything she has written about, especially ‘Sometimes’ which reminded me of my Mum. I experienced every line written there.

These poems are heart breaking at times, while others make us think of a past life, like ‘LBD’ the lines of that echoed within me so much, when I think of my youth. ‘My Favourite Vase’ on the other hand, for me, had an essence of Keats about it. To take an inanimate object, and make it come alive as this poem does. This definitely will not be the first time I read this inspiring collection.

This book is a must read, and I highly recommend it.

[K.L. Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Father’s Daughter by Lily Lawson is a celebration of emotion. A poetry collection is a personal expression on the part of the poet and the reader. This book is rich with emotion.

My favorite poem was “The Duality of the Sea.” The repetition of the line “The sea is calm tonight” gave me the rhythmic feel of the sea’s ebb and flow. This poem tells a story.

With over 40 poems in this collection, there’s much to like. Another favorite for me was “The Door of Emotion.” It beautifully uses the door as a metaphor for various emotions, from warm and safe to angry and strong.

I could go on listing my favorites, but each reader is likely to find a unique combination of new favorites.

[Carolyn Ruffles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of poetry worth reading - poems which make you smile, think and, above all, feel. Lily Lawson’s writing is pure, honest, accessible and emotive. No word is wasted. A range of human experience is given the Lily touch – personal and honest, but optimistic and ultimately uplifting. I enjoyed every poem but ‘Sometimes’ spoke to me on a deeply personal level, triggering memories of my own father. Highly recommended.

[Mary Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This is a wonderful book of poetry. Poetry that symbolizes life. From Autopsy to a poem all about no punctuation to LBD to Borders and before and after. I was truly touched. Five gold stars.

[Heather Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily's words are serious, witty, and emotional.
She puts them together easily, making us feel happy and sad, making us smile, and showing us our strengths and weaknesses. Very nice poetry collection!