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The Museum of Broken Objects
The Museum of Broken Objects is a tour through the corridors of grief, loneliness, and self-destruction that come along with suffering an acute mental breakdown. This collection of poems navigate through a complex maze of objects and images like a museum of memory and feelings venturing into the darkest spaces and emerging out of it bruised but breathing at the end.
- GenresPoetry
Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2023
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Amy Ellis
8 books36 followersAmy Ellis lives in London and works in publishing. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Longwood University and a Masters in Digital Publishing from Oxford Brookes University. She enjoys writing poems, knitting, gardening, and playing with her dog.
You can find her online at amy-ellis.com or on social media @amesplaza.
You can find her online at amy-ellis.com or on social media @amesplaza.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 1, 2023
Little poems about mental health, self love, grief, body image and trauma. Some autobiographical and other more experimental.
July 31, 2023
The general low rating had me skeptical, but this ended up being one of my favourite poetry collections I’ve read recently. There’s a lot to like here. Having enjoyed work from this author before, I found it easy and comforting to fall into her words again.
January 16, 2023
I got advance reader copy of this book and leaving this review honestly and voluntarily.
This book is all about grief, loneliness, self destruction and heartache.
The description of the book captured my attention and dedication just made my day.
The whole piece was just so relatable and my heart which has been out of sorts lately, sang with the book.
Dedication was:
"Mom! Don't read this one......" (Complete dedication in image)
It seemed hilarious and confusing at that time, but after reading it, I understand what this was about.
She shared her inner darkness, the grief so strong that at times made me shudder.
No author would like this part of her known to people who has seen her cheery face.
In the start, I was somewhat disappointed that it was gonna be another compilation of sentences only but aside from some shortcomings, poems were well built, emotional level high and full on enjoyable.
I am sharing some of them with you.
• For You
A broken champagne glass—
can you help me pull
the glass from my palms?
There is a disco ball beneath my skin.
God it hurts to be this beautiful,
all these shiny parts to polish up
for you.
•Bad Behaviour
I wish you had never seen me
in the mirror with my clothes off.
I have nothing left to show you now.
• I Drank It Anyway
And when I came back there was a wine glass
waiting for me with someone else’s mouth on it.
I drank it anyway and told everyone all of my secrets
then threw myself on the fire to melt away all the guilt.
•Blacking Out
I turn myself inside and outside
every other day to keep the freshest
version of myself showing
so you can’t see the rotten pieces.
I mask them with all these potions
so no one can tell I’m eating
myself from the inside out.
I tried to convince myself
you can’t be sad when you’re wearing Chanel.
I tried to convince myself these
expensive cocktails could scrub this from my brain.
I tried to convince myself no one would ever know
until I spilled it all out at two in the morning, laughing
and blacking out. I woke up in my silk
pyjamas and misremembered how funny
I was, rediscovered the hurt, shifted all the secrets
I’d been burying in the graveyard of my throat.
• In My Garden
Tomorrow I will dig in the dirt
and cry my tears into the soil,
salt the earth and make tiny graves
of my feelings for you.
•Fairy Tale
With her makeup rubbed away her eyes
are just the loose lace of veins.
Her eyelashes thread the needle
that sews her eyes to sleep.
An uneven stack of mattresses. A broken
glass shoe. The way her skin suppurates
from the shards makes her shine.
There is a woodsman with a box for her heart
and boys line up to kiss her while she sleeps.
When she wakes, her lips bleed.
•Holes
I like to dig my nails
into my skin
and make new holes
in my body
that don’t have to
breathe or birth
or see or hear.
Meaningless wounds
to open up and explore
the rottenness in me
like a crater
or a grave,
a memorial
of a time when
I was whole
instead of tiny fractals
of bone and blood and flesh.
I want my whole
outsides to be a scar
so everyone can see
how unpretty and fragile
I really am because, God,
no one can tell how brittle
you are if you shine up
pretty enough.
•Fracture
I leaned too hard
on the crutch
and broke it.
It’s hard not to burn
the bridge when I’ve already
set myself on fire.
And the last one which was just too sweet not to share.
•Little Wanderer
At the end of the day, I know
I will always come home
to you. You are my home.
I would definitely recommend it.
Bushra Ayub khan
This book is all about grief, loneliness, self destruction and heartache.
The description of the book captured my attention and dedication just made my day.
The whole piece was just so relatable and my heart which has been out of sorts lately, sang with the book.
Dedication was:
"Mom! Don't read this one......" (Complete dedication in image)
It seemed hilarious and confusing at that time, but after reading it, I understand what this was about.
She shared her inner darkness, the grief so strong that at times made me shudder.
No author would like this part of her known to people who has seen her cheery face.
In the start, I was somewhat disappointed that it was gonna be another compilation of sentences only but aside from some shortcomings, poems were well built, emotional level high and full on enjoyable.
I am sharing some of them with you.
• For You
A broken champagne glass—
can you help me pull
the glass from my palms?
There is a disco ball beneath my skin.
God it hurts to be this beautiful,
all these shiny parts to polish up
for you.
•Bad Behaviour
I wish you had never seen me
in the mirror with my clothes off.
I have nothing left to show you now.
• I Drank It Anyway
And when I came back there was a wine glass
waiting for me with someone else’s mouth on it.
I drank it anyway and told everyone all of my secrets
then threw myself on the fire to melt away all the guilt.
•Blacking Out
I turn myself inside and outside
every other day to keep the freshest
version of myself showing
so you can’t see the rotten pieces.
I mask them with all these potions
so no one can tell I’m eating
myself from the inside out.
I tried to convince myself
you can’t be sad when you’re wearing Chanel.
I tried to convince myself these
expensive cocktails could scrub this from my brain.
I tried to convince myself no one would ever know
until I spilled it all out at two in the morning, laughing
and blacking out. I woke up in my silk
pyjamas and misremembered how funny
I was, rediscovered the hurt, shifted all the secrets
I’d been burying in the graveyard of my throat.
• In My Garden
Tomorrow I will dig in the dirt
and cry my tears into the soil,
salt the earth and make tiny graves
of my feelings for you.
•Fairy Tale
With her makeup rubbed away her eyes
are just the loose lace of veins.
Her eyelashes thread the needle
that sews her eyes to sleep.
An uneven stack of mattresses. A broken
glass shoe. The way her skin suppurates
from the shards makes her shine.
There is a woodsman with a box for her heart
and boys line up to kiss her while she sleeps.
When she wakes, her lips bleed.
•Holes
I like to dig my nails
into my skin
and make new holes
in my body
that don’t have to
breathe or birth
or see or hear.
Meaningless wounds
to open up and explore
the rottenness in me
like a crater
or a grave,
a memorial
of a time when
I was whole
instead of tiny fractals
of bone and blood and flesh.
I want my whole
outsides to be a scar
so everyone can see
how unpretty and fragile
I really am because, God,
no one can tell how brittle
you are if you shine up
pretty enough.
•Fracture
I leaned too hard
on the crutch
and broke it.
It’s hard not to burn
the bridge when I’ve already
set myself on fire.
And the last one which was just too sweet not to share.
•Little Wanderer
At the end of the day, I know
I will always come home
to you. You are my home.
I would definitely recommend it.
Bushra Ayub khan
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2024
Amy Ellis really has a way of writing that is very easy to read and understand but also evokes so much emotion from the reader. It's amazing. I will read anything from this author in the future. A lot of the poems where quite dark, especially if u thought about them but it was also just so beautiful. Probably one of my favourite poetry books I've ever read. My one and only problem with it was that I wanted more! It wasn't long enough.
Thank you BookSirens for the ARC
Thank you BookSirens for the ARC
January 11, 2023
One of the good things about being a reviewer is being able to return to the work of writers whose work you have enjoyed; I love getting an alert that tells me that someone I am following has released or is on the verge of releasing a new text. I snap it up straightaway. This is how I feel about Amy Ellis' work.
The Museum of Broken Objects is a gathering of poems which deals with a core group of subjects: mainly grief, love, passion, loss. You might say that these are the stalwarts of many a poetry collection but not everyone can write about them in such a way that when you read that writer's words, they involve you or move you in ways that other poetry collections don't. I am not talking about high brow stuff that is difficult to decipher: Ellis' work is very simple to understand and this is part of its charm. For example, Dust is a four line poem which, in its economy of words and phrasing, still manages to conjure an image of someone who finds herself lost, even trapped in a life that would be normal to most in its domesticity but is a restriction, maybe even destructive; and all of that in four lines.
The metaphor created by the collection's title is one that permeates the poems. Having a museum that houses broken objects suggests that they are being kept merely to be regarded; that there is a worth to them but one that only allows limited engagement and one that is not always valued because of the fact they are in shards or repaired; that they are to be kept but not touched, perhaps not damaged enough to be totally discarded but, if kept behind glass, can be safeguarded and kept in one place. The poems deal with the way that life collides with you and how you salvage yourself from this and keep your essence preserved in the face of it.
There is depth to these poems but it is not a long collection that will take you an inordinate time to read. As stated, they are easy to read, sometimes simple and yet, they stir emotion and express sentiment despite the brevity of language because of choice imagery.
I would recommend Amy Ellis' work and I look forward to reading more of her poems in the near future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Museum of Broken Objects is a gathering of poems which deals with a core group of subjects: mainly grief, love, passion, loss. You might say that these are the stalwarts of many a poetry collection but not everyone can write about them in such a way that when you read that writer's words, they involve you or move you in ways that other poetry collections don't. I am not talking about high brow stuff that is difficult to decipher: Ellis' work is very simple to understand and this is part of its charm. For example, Dust is a four line poem which, in its economy of words and phrasing, still manages to conjure an image of someone who finds herself lost, even trapped in a life that would be normal to most in its domesticity but is a restriction, maybe even destructive; and all of that in four lines.
The metaphor created by the collection's title is one that permeates the poems. Having a museum that houses broken objects suggests that they are being kept merely to be regarded; that there is a worth to them but one that only allows limited engagement and one that is not always valued because of the fact they are in shards or repaired; that they are to be kept but not touched, perhaps not damaged enough to be totally discarded but, if kept behind glass, can be safeguarded and kept in one place. The poems deal with the way that life collides with you and how you salvage yourself from this and keep your essence preserved in the face of it.
There is depth to these poems but it is not a long collection that will take you an inordinate time to read. As stated, they are easy to read, sometimes simple and yet, they stir emotion and express sentiment despite the brevity of language because of choice imagery.
I would recommend Amy Ellis' work and I look forward to reading more of her poems in the near future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 11, 2023
The poetry in Amy Ellis's new book, The Museum of Broken Objects, is brave, bold and absolutely beautiful. The raw emotion in each and every poem evoked such strong feelings which instantly connected the poet and myself.
Amy is a master of using words to create strong images and feelings. I felt her pain as if it was my own.
I look forward to reading more of Amy's work.
Amy is a master of using words to create strong images and feelings. I felt her pain as if it was my own.
I look forward to reading more of Amy's work.
January 4, 2023
I’m not a fan of poetry but this was book was mostly an easy, started out almost pretty, read. However it did turn quite deep and graphic and there are some hard hitting themes particularly with the latter half of the book.
This is the second of Amy’s books that I’ve read and I am starting to quite like the idea of the story told as verse.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
This is the second of Amy’s books that I’ve read and I am starting to quite like the idea of the story told as verse.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
January 23, 2023
Hi everyone! I am not much of a poetry conosseuir though I have my favorite authors on this genre, full on disclosure? I have read mostly poetry in Spanish, but I wanted to read something different this time...
This book sounded pretty interesting, and all I can say after reading it is that I liked it; some poems made more sense (to me) than others, some poems were more lovely, sad, deeper than others, and some got to me more, probably because of similar life experiences.
Disclaimer: I received this ARC for free by BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book sounded pretty interesting, and all I can say after reading it is that I liked it; some poems made more sense (to me) than others, some poems were more lovely, sad, deeper than others, and some got to me more, probably because of similar life experiences.
Disclaimer: I received this ARC for free by BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 17, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This story of poems touched my heart in a way I didn’t know needed to be explored. The Museum of Broken Objects reflects on the grief and sadness we naturally come across as humans in this world and turns those circumstances into galleries of art to be cherished.
While reading this, I felt like the passer by. I felt like the art. And I felt like the observer. I was impressed by the lingering feeling I was left with when I finished this.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
January 28, 2023
✧*̥˚ 3.5 stars *̥˚✧
The Museum of Broken Objects is a beautifully executed poetic piece that makes you reflect on your deepest self. It’s pretty simple, it’s a book full of gorgeous poems - and as the title suggests, the book carries you on a tour. For me, the tour felt like watching a woman grow from childhood to death. It felt like seeing the world through a child’s eyes, and then those eyes become more mature - suddenly adolescence and adulthood. Marriage, and death.
It is a marvelous piece, it tugged at my heartstrings and spoke to me. Well executed and left readers to analyze what it actually is trying to be said. Sometimes I did get it, fairly well, others... not so well.
But it’s all about what poetic pieces are about! I received a copy from BookSirens for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!
The Museum of Broken Objects is a beautifully executed poetic piece that makes you reflect on your deepest self. It’s pretty simple, it’s a book full of gorgeous poems - and as the title suggests, the book carries you on a tour. For me, the tour felt like watching a woman grow from childhood to death. It felt like seeing the world through a child’s eyes, and then those eyes become more mature - suddenly adolescence and adulthood. Marriage, and death.
It is a marvelous piece, it tugged at my heartstrings and spoke to me. Well executed and left readers to analyze what it actually is trying to be said. Sometimes I did get it, fairly well, others... not so well.
But it’s all about what poetic pieces are about! I received a copy from BookSirens for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!
January 29, 2023
The Museum of Broken Objects truly is a look into a fractured world, an obstructed and confused world showing the pangs of regret, hate, and desire to matter with the despair of worthlessness.
One, of many, poems that struck a cord in me is one called Fracture: "Its hard not to burn the bridge when I've already set myself on fire."
It evoked visions of terror, despair, longing for peace, a search for repair, but the source of pain is inside and keeps the light of peace far out of reach.
This definitely will challenge your inward thoughts and may even surprise you by tickling your mind with a sensation of understanding and being understood and that in itself may be revolting. Or, it may be freeing.
*I received and advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
One, of many, poems that struck a cord in me is one called Fracture: "Its hard not to burn the bridge when I've already set myself on fire."
It evoked visions of terror, despair, longing for peace, a search for repair, but the source of pain is inside and keeps the light of peace far out of reach.
This definitely will challenge your inward thoughts and may even surprise you by tickling your mind with a sensation of understanding and being understood and that in itself may be revolting. Or, it may be freeing.
*I received and advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 7, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is beautiful and heartfelt. Some of the poems felt gut-wrenching to me because I could relate to them.
There was such beautiful imagery. One of my favourites was in High Anxiety - "I wish I could box up my voice / in a seashell until this passes"
Other times it felt like the poems didn't mesh well, as in I turned a page and found myself somewhere else. For example, the shift from 'Exhibition,' being around others, too 'You Can Go To Town Alone,' being alone. It contributed to a disjointed feeling, like grief, but was still unexpected.
Either way I would love to have a copy on my bookshelf, to pick up sometimes when I want to feel something.
This book is beautiful and heartfelt. Some of the poems felt gut-wrenching to me because I could relate to them.
There was such beautiful imagery. One of my favourites was in High Anxiety - "I wish I could box up my voice / in a seashell until this passes"
Other times it felt like the poems didn't mesh well, as in I turned a page and found myself somewhere else. For example, the shift from 'Exhibition,' being around others, too 'You Can Go To Town Alone,' being alone. It contributed to a disjointed feeling, like grief, but was still unexpected.
Either way I would love to have a copy on my bookshelf, to pick up sometimes when I want to feel something.
December 29, 2022
Overall, I had a very mild response to these poems. The general themes were ok. But, i was not connected to the emotions of the pieces. I was really not a fan of "I woke up with a bad attitude." It's hard because I can see the emotions and sentiments that the author was trying to portray, but I didn't connect with it. I think its really important for poetry to tell a story, but not always in a way that so direct and explicit. This felt like something I've read before and I think that stories and poems about broken women can have more substantial subject matter.
**I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
**I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
December 21, 2022
Trigger warnings for The Museum of Broken Objects include: sex, profanity (swearing); depression and death.
☆
☆
This book is a collection of poems. And I understand that they were intended to convey themes of grief and sadness, but as with poetry generally I just can't read into them and see between the lines.
~
For some people this would be a really nice read. But for me, I just don't get poetry, so it wasn't my particular cup of tea.
•
Thank you to BookSiren for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
☆
☆
This book is a collection of poems. And I understand that they were intended to convey themes of grief and sadness, but as with poetry generally I just can't read into them and see between the lines.
~
For some people this would be a really nice read. But for me, I just don't get poetry, so it wasn't my particular cup of tea.
•
Thank you to BookSiren for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 29, 2023
Thank you to BookSirens for the arc of this book. This was a deep read. There were quite a few poems that I connected with personally. Some parts could be quite confronting for others, as they were for me. I enjoy poetry because it can be interpreted differently by anyone who reads it. The author symbolically expressed her emotions eloquently throughout, so that the reader could understand the feelings conveyed. A quick, hard hitting read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 7, 2023
I received this collection as an ARC from Library Thing. The Museum of Broken Objects is a collection of poetry by Amy Ellis. Each poem is relatively short, but conveys so much meaning and emotion. This book is so raw and exposed, and I think Amy Ellis truly revealed a bit of herself in each poem. I loved how each poem had a common thread of grief and longing, but they also had separate focuses and showed different sides of the same feeling. This was a reminder of the purpose of art. To evoke emotion and unite people. I would highly recommend The Museum of Broken Objects and I look forward to reading more Amy Ellis books!
January 26, 2023
A collection of grief, heartache, and loneliness. Rife with imagery and figurative language that forces the reader to experience bits and pieces of the author's/speaker's story. Not a long collection, and while some poems fell flat or were very simple, many urge the reader to take a second look, to read a line again.
Favorite poems are:
Rot
Pink
Pearls
Fairy Tale
Holes
Drawing
Burn
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Favorite poems are:
Rot
Pink
Pearls
Fairy Tale
Holes
Drawing
Burn
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 28, 2023
I received an ARC through Library Thing in exchange for a review. Opinions are completely mine. A collection of short poems (most are very short). I felt like they were trying to evoke emotion from me but unfortunately I did not emotionally connect with them. Some seemed to be provocative just for the sake of being provocative rather than for conveying a deeper message.
January 22, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I enjoyed this, although the chosen format of course means we don’t get massive in-depth descriptions and explanations and examinations of situations it felt very intimate and revealing.
I enjoyed this, although the chosen format of course means we don’t get massive in-depth descriptions and explanations and examinations of situations it felt very intimate and revealing.
March 2, 2023
A book of poetry that deals with a mixture of different subjects and situations. An inspiring book and it gives the reader something to think about, it was an emotional rollercoaster. A worthy read.
I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 27, 2023
only some poems really stayed with me.
spotlight: “I am a theatre.
Come sit inside my dark room”
grief: “The house feels hollow
without him. We wait
by the door as if he’ll return.”
pearls: felt personal to me, as dark and coming from the heart it was i really felt it deep within me the most
high anxiety: “pull me apart in the empty
vacuum of space and time
where all of this is meaningless”
things could be better now:
“swallow
my memories over and over again.”
the going from sex education to the secret keeper was really good because nothing prepares you for it, yet it fits the poems one after another flow really well!
i would definitely read more from this author, it felt from the soul and that they knew the reader personally.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
spotlight: “I am a theatre.
Come sit inside my dark room”
grief: “The house feels hollow
without him. We wait
by the door as if he’ll return.”
pearls: felt personal to me, as dark and coming from the heart it was i really felt it deep within me the most
high anxiety: “pull me apart in the empty
vacuum of space and time
where all of this is meaningless”
things could be better now:
“swallow
my memories over and over again.”
the going from sex education to the secret keeper was really good because nothing prepares you for it, yet it fits the poems one after another flow really well!
i would definitely read more from this author, it felt from the soul and that they knew the reader personally.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews