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Planet-ish
It has been a rough few years for Pluto. For nearly eight decades, she was a mysterious fleck at the edge of our solar system. Then, suddenly, she was demoted.
Through 20 poems about Pluto and her “motley crew of underworld moons,” Planet-ish explores marriage, grief, and feminism through the guise of the gravitational forces that keep us together.
Through 20 poems about Pluto and her “motley crew of underworld moons,” Planet-ish explores marriage, grief, and feminism through the guise of the gravitational forces that keep us together.
44 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 24, 2021
This is a wonderful book and you should buy a copy - at its far-too-low price - or steal someone else's copy - and read it. I have read it twice - once before I met the author once after.
It is a well-researched and thoroughly delightful, irreverent meditation on the nature of Pluto (the once and future planet) and Pluto's relationship to her moons; and the bumbling nature of the human elites who - apparently - have the power to decide what constitutes a planet and what does not.
On the first read-through, it was thoroughly enjoyable; but... it hinted at more...
There is a completely vulnerable and personal nature to this book; that I don't want to spoil for other readers. You will understand when you read it. Pluto is - frustratingly-yet-intriguingly - quite a reserved planet; and it isn't immediately apparent whether the personal/vulnerable side of "Planet-ish" is real and authentic; or an ingenious literary device of the author.
So, on the second read-through I am fortunate to now know the answer. It is real. It is a reflection of lived experiences. And for Pluto to open up herself in this way; to create art from her pain in this way. Yeah… you should read it.
It is a well-researched and thoroughly delightful, irreverent meditation on the nature of Pluto (the once and future planet) and Pluto's relationship to her moons; and the bumbling nature of the human elites who - apparently - have the power to decide what constitutes a planet and what does not.
On the first read-through, it was thoroughly enjoyable; but... it hinted at more...
There is a completely vulnerable and personal nature to this book; that I don't want to spoil for other readers. You will understand when you read it. Pluto is - frustratingly-yet-intriguingly - quite a reserved planet; and it isn't immediately apparent whether the personal/vulnerable side of "Planet-ish" is real and authentic; or an ingenious literary device of the author.
So, on the second read-through I am fortunate to now know the answer. It is real. It is a reflection of lived experiences. And for Pluto to open up herself in this way; to create art from her pain in this way. Yeah… you should read it.
July 15, 2023
Absolutely stunning. It’s almost voyeuristic, like staring into a microscope and seeing science things that make one blush. The grand canvas of the universe unfolds, but reveals an intimate and familiar story: a beloved heroine demoted because some couldn’t handle her power. Cairns has lost all objectivity in becoming Pluto, loving Pluto, obsessing over Pluto. And thank god she has. Pluto needed this elevated love letter; she deserved the careful and loving attention to the glow she evinces— her cushiony clouds of gas flirting with plasma. Pluto sent out a cosmic message for help, her child-like Princess self finding a poetic warrior deservingly true of heart: Lyndal Cairns.
Those who remember their planetary mnemonics will adore this pie in the sky treat. If you love science or words or love: do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You will fall in love with Pluto all over again, while you stumble and canoodle within this epic universal love story.
Those who remember their planetary mnemonics will adore this pie in the sky treat. If you love science or words or love: do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You will fall in love with Pluto all over again, while you stumble and canoodle within this epic universal love story.
November 24, 2021
To me, it read like a love letter to a sister self, the beloved Pluto.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews