What do you think?
Rate this book
Love Is Blood, Love Is Fabric
A story of lost love and self realization in 45 intimate poems.
Love is alchemy, it is divine. It is the greatest truth of all.
Told in five parts, this short anthology is more than a collection of poems. It is an emotional journey that follows the personal and spiritual growth of the self.
In raw and visceral language, Mary De La Fuente describes the joys and sorrows of first love, the struggle to reclaim your self once it's lost, and the desperate search for meaning in relationships. This book is a transcendental experience that will shock you into the present moment and make you question everything you've ever believed about the truth of love and the nature of the self.
Love is alchemy, it is divine. It is the greatest truth of all.
Told in five parts, this short anthology is more than a collection of poems. It is an emotional journey that follows the personal and spiritual growth of the self.
In raw and visceral language, Mary De La Fuente describes the joys and sorrows of first love, the struggle to reclaim your self once it's lost, and the desperate search for meaning in relationships. This book is a transcendental experience that will shock you into the present moment and make you question everything you've ever believed about the truth of love and the nature of the self.
80 pages, Paperback
Published November 30, 2020
743 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 27, 2020
I'm so freaking lucky. @atmospherepress sent me this book of poetry & I wonder if they knew I was going through something & needed 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜 by Mary de la Fuente. It's so good, you guys. Don't tell me you don't do poetry because it's almost 2021 & you need to read poetry. Her expressions, the feelings, her phrasing is so poignant. It's incredibly moving.
November 27, 2020
I picked up this poetry book because the themes in it reminded me of Rupi Kaur and her first book, milk and honey, which was made up of parts that in turn dealt with love, suffering and healing.
In both books, the poems are generally short and punchy. Differently than in Kaur's book, the poems in Love Is Blood, Love Is Fabric all have a lingering sad feeling within them, like a deep knowledge of the future suffering and heartbreak. This bleak perspective on love and life permeates the whole book and draws on the belief that anything we dream of and think of is in the process of becoming real. This can be positive, when our dreams are optimistic and rosy, but can also lead to destruction, pain and separation if our thoughts and dreams are full of fear of it all going wrong.
The book contains a variety of poem length and styles. In some, the lines are super short, and in some, it reads more like a continuous flow of words with little breaks. I think the author managed to keep a consistent voice across these different styles, although I feel that the poems with shorter lines worked better. The author expresses a great deal of self-awareness, which is probably what I liked the most about the book and the poems within it. Something that worked particularly well was the reflection of the author on past events and particularly their past self, as it managed to evoke and signify how they wish things had gone instead.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Although a few of the poems lacked rhythm, some managed to strike that perfect balance between meaningful and perfectly paced. Those are the ones that conveyed the poet's emotion the most and catapulted me into their mind for some sweet moments. The poems When I Loved You, Disavowal, Dreams of Longing and Words & Spaces are excellent examples of this. I think this poetry debut by Mary De La Fuente is worth reading.
In both books, the poems are generally short and punchy. Differently than in Kaur's book, the poems in Love Is Blood, Love Is Fabric all have a lingering sad feeling within them, like a deep knowledge of the future suffering and heartbreak. This bleak perspective on love and life permeates the whole book and draws on the belief that anything we dream of and think of is in the process of becoming real. This can be positive, when our dreams are optimistic and rosy, but can also lead to destruction, pain and separation if our thoughts and dreams are full of fear of it all going wrong.
The book contains a variety of poem length and styles. In some, the lines are super short, and in some, it reads more like a continuous flow of words with little breaks. I think the author managed to keep a consistent voice across these different styles, although I feel that the poems with shorter lines worked better. The author expresses a great deal of self-awareness, which is probably what I liked the most about the book and the poems within it. Something that worked particularly well was the reflection of the author on past events and particularly their past self, as it managed to evoke and signify how they wish things had gone instead.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Although a few of the poems lacked rhythm, some managed to strike that perfect balance between meaningful and perfectly paced. Those are the ones that conveyed the poet's emotion the most and catapulted me into their mind for some sweet moments. The poems When I Loved You, Disavowal, Dreams of Longing and Words & Spaces are excellent examples of this. I think this poetry debut by Mary De La Fuente is worth reading.
Read
December 8, 2020True to its title, Love is Blood, Love is Fabric, Mary De La Fuente's book of poems is visceral--"a whiteness where hot stones have pressed--to the surface of my mouth,/ to the arching of my back"--but often lyrical--"Something like simplicity,/and the falling leaves" and "...something like the interstices/between tree branches at dawn and dusk,"/. The book's five sections, LOVE, LOSS, SEARCHING, RETURN, REBIRTH trace the trajectory from love to love and identity lost, to retrieval of self and spirituality.
The second poem in the book queries, "If love is fabric, if love is blood, what's me and you?" And the rest of the book bravely wrestles with the answer to this question. Ultimately, Mary De La Fuente eliminates the conditional if and what's me & you from the equation. Love itself takes precedence over me and you; hence, the declarative, definitive title, Love is Blood, Love is Fabric. Notice that in the title the order of fabric and blood is reversed. Here, blood precedes fabric, implying what the poems declare throughout this cathartic, riveting book, that love is both wool and velvet. --Katherine Barham, author of How It Shone.
The second poem in the book queries, "If love is fabric, if love is blood, what's me and you?" And the rest of the book bravely wrestles with the answer to this question. Ultimately, Mary De La Fuente eliminates the conditional if and what's me & you from the equation. Love itself takes precedence over me and you; hence, the declarative, definitive title, Love is Blood, Love is Fabric. Notice that in the title the order of fabric and blood is reversed. Here, blood precedes fabric, implying what the poems declare throughout this cathartic, riveting book, that love is both wool and velvet. --Katherine Barham, author of How It Shone.
January 10, 2021
Love is Blood, Love is Fabric by Mary De La Fuente is a collection of poem that takes you back to revisit your first love, heartbreak and makes you take a journey of introspection from there to now. The pieces are powerful and an experience in themselves. They are raw in it's presentation and narrative through and through. If you are looking to indulge yourself in some poetry this new year, definitely add this one to the list!
June 1, 2022
This was definitely not the poetry collection for me. I felt no connection or impact from any of the poems, if they can even be called that. The style that the author used did not feel like poetry. She also tried to do different formats with different spacing, but it did nothing for the poems. I'm very sad and very disappointed. Someone might find that they get a lot out of this collection, but that person was not me.
July 23, 2021
Love is blood is a poetry book that has been written for over seven years. It is filled with emotions, including grief, complex relationships, romance, difficulties, and values that drive from intuitions. There are also elements of spiritual and psychological matters resonating throughout the book.
I found the book to be enjoyable to read. I particularly cared about how honest and descriptive it was. The book is a journey of discovery and possessed a sense of fearfulness. I believe that creative writing is an asset to have.
Love is a beautiful feeling to experience, and it is truly amazing to be loved. I recommend this book to those who like to read poetry and enjoy feel-good books.
I found the book to be enjoyable to read. I particularly cared about how honest and descriptive it was. The book is a journey of discovery and possessed a sense of fearfulness. I believe that creative writing is an asset to have.
Love is a beautiful feeling to experience, and it is truly amazing to be loved. I recommend this book to those who like to read poetry and enjoy feel-good books.
December 31, 2022
Spectacular collection of poems. Equally relatable and thought provoking.
June 9, 2021
This was a quick read, and I liked most of the poems in this book. I loved the feeling that they gave off, how I could connect to them. It was one of the first poem books I've read, so I do think it's a decent start for someone looking to get into poetry. There were a few poems that didn't have much rhythm, though. Overall, it was a good collection of poems, and I'll likely read any other poetry books the author releases.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews