What do you think?
Rate this book
The Universe of Us (Volume 4)
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Poetry (2016)Lang Leav presents a completely new collection of poetry with a celestial theme in The Universe of Us.
Planets, stars, and constellations feature prominently in this beautiful, original poetry collection from Lang Leav. Inspired by the wonders of the universe, the best-selling poetess writes about love and loss, hope and hurt, being lost and found. Lang's poetry encompasses the breadth of emotions we all experience and evokes universal feelings with her skillfully crafted words.
Planets, stars, and constellations feature prominently in this beautiful, original poetry collection from Lang Leav. Inspired by the wonders of the universe, the best-selling poetess writes about love and loss, hope and hurt, being lost and found. Lang's poetry encompasses the breadth of emotions we all experience and evokes universal feelings with her skillfully crafted words.
225 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2016
957 people are currently reading
39879 people want to read
About the author
Lang Leav
18 books11.6k followersNovelist and poet Lang Leav was born in a refugee camp when her family were fleeing the Khmer Rouge Regime. She spent her formative years in Sydney, Australia, in the predominantly migrant town of Cabramatta. Among her many achievements, Lang is the winner of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, Churchill Fellowship and Goodreads Reader’s Choice Award.
Lang has been featured on CNN, SBS Australia, Intelligence Squared UK, Radio New Zealand and in various publications, including Vogue, Newsweek, the Straits Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times. She currently lives in New Zealand with her partner and fellow author, Michael Faudet.
Lang has been featured on CNN, SBS Australia, Intelligence Squared UK, Radio New Zealand and in various publications, including Vogue, Newsweek, the Straits Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times. She currently lives in New Zealand with her partner and fellow author, Michael Faudet.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,427 reviews
June 5, 2020
“In many ways, a book is, in itself, a tiny universe. Each page is like a newly formed galaxy, fashioned from a single, pulsing thought.
A book travels for days, for years, sometimes for centuries to meet you at an exact point in time.”
The above quote perfect describes my feelings about this book.
This was my first Lang Leav poetry book, and I was truly not expecting to like this collection so much - mainly because I don’t consider myself to be much of a romantic - but The Universe of Us really surprised me for the better. (And also that cover is absolutely stunning.)
This book covers everything from love and loss, hope and hurt, being lost and found. And I was actually let down when I reached the ending so quickly. I'll definitely be picking up more of Lang Leav's books very soon.
But for now, I'll share a few quotes from my favorite poems in this collection:
I Am
“And I told him, if I am so hard to love, then let me run wild.
My love is not a testament to my surrender. I will show you just how much I love you, with the inward draw of every breath—the collective sigh of the world and all its despair. But I will never give you what you want in chains.”
Today
“My demons are lying in wait, they are grinning in the shadows, their polished fangs glinting, knowing today, it will be an easy kill. But tomorrow, tomorrow could be different, and that is what keeps me going today.”
The Butterfly Effect
“I know you are scared. Who could blame you? Love is a hurricane wrapped inside a chrysalis. And you are a girl walking into the storm.”
Moment of Truth
“The second I tried to tell myself I wasn’t in love was the moment I realized I was.”
Conversations
“Most people want to save the entire world. It’s a lovely thought, and I’m not saying it’s not a noble pursuit—but it’s impossible to save everyone. You just have to pick your little corner of the world and focus your energy there. That’s the only way you will ever make a difference.”
A Lesson
“There is a girl who smiles all the time,
to show the world that she is fine.
A boy who surrounds himself with friends,
wished that his life would end.
For those that say they never knew—
the saddest leave the least of clues.”
Possibility of Love
“Yes, I think it is entirely possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met. Physicality is an expression of intimacy—not an indication of it.”
Her Time
“She can feel it down to her very core—this is her time. She will not only climb mountains—she will move them too.”
The One
“I don’t want to be the one who tucks you into bed—I want to be the reason why you can’t sleep at night.”
A Whole Universe
“When you lose a person, a whole universe goes along with them.”
Gone
“The sad thing is,” she said, “the moment you start to miss someone, it means they’re already gone.”
Once
“I loved you once and now I must spend my whole life explaining why.”
Salve
“You won’t hear from me again after today, and I don’t want you to worry. I’ll be okay. Because I have to be.”
A Premonition
“But when I look at you, I just know instinctively, that despite the odds against you and although life will always find a way to test you, someday you’ll have everything you want. Your ending will be a happy one.”
Loving you
“Loving you is like being ten years old again, scaling a tree with my eyes bright and skyward, wanting only to get higher and higher, without a thought of how I would get back down.”
Quiet
“I’ve grown quiet now. You won’t hear me talk about you anymore. It doesn’t hurt like it used to. I suppose that is something to be thankful for.”
Your Words
“Remember, your words are your power. Never forget your words.”
I'm so glad to having finally read some of Lang Leav's writing. I hope it will only go up from here.
I also found that listening to this song really amped-up my reading experience:
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying The Universe of Us, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
A book travels for days, for years, sometimes for centuries to meet you at an exact point in time.”
The above quote perfect describes my feelings about this book.
This was my first Lang Leav poetry book, and I was truly not expecting to like this collection so much - mainly because I don’t consider myself to be much of a romantic - but The Universe of Us really surprised me for the better. (And also that cover is absolutely stunning.)
This book covers everything from love and loss, hope and hurt, being lost and found. And I was actually let down when I reached the ending so quickly. I'll definitely be picking up more of Lang Leav's books very soon.
But for now, I'll share a few quotes from my favorite poems in this collection:
I Am
“And I told him, if I am so hard to love, then let me run wild.
My love is not a testament to my surrender. I will show you just how much I love you, with the inward draw of every breath—the collective sigh of the world and all its despair. But I will never give you what you want in chains.”
Today
“My demons are lying in wait, they are grinning in the shadows, their polished fangs glinting, knowing today, it will be an easy kill. But tomorrow, tomorrow could be different, and that is what keeps me going today.”
The Butterfly Effect
“I know you are scared. Who could blame you? Love is a hurricane wrapped inside a chrysalis. And you are a girl walking into the storm.”
Moment of Truth
“The second I tried to tell myself I wasn’t in love was the moment I realized I was.”
Conversations
“Most people want to save the entire world. It’s a lovely thought, and I’m not saying it’s not a noble pursuit—but it’s impossible to save everyone. You just have to pick your little corner of the world and focus your energy there. That’s the only way you will ever make a difference.”
A Lesson
“There is a girl who smiles all the time,
to show the world that she is fine.
A boy who surrounds himself with friends,
wished that his life would end.
For those that say they never knew—
the saddest leave the least of clues.”
Possibility of Love
“Yes, I think it is entirely possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met. Physicality is an expression of intimacy—not an indication of it.”
Her Time
“She can feel it down to her very core—this is her time. She will not only climb mountains—she will move them too.”
The One
“I don’t want to be the one who tucks you into bed—I want to be the reason why you can’t sleep at night.”
A Whole Universe
“When you lose a person, a whole universe goes along with them.”
Gone
“The sad thing is,” she said, “the moment you start to miss someone, it means they’re already gone.”
Once
“I loved you once and now I must spend my whole life explaining why.”
Salve
“You won’t hear from me again after today, and I don’t want you to worry. I’ll be okay. Because I have to be.”
A Premonition
“But when I look at you, I just know instinctively, that despite the odds against you and although life will always find a way to test you, someday you’ll have everything you want. Your ending will be a happy one.”
Loving you
“Loving you is like being ten years old again, scaling a tree with my eyes bright and skyward, wanting only to get higher and higher, without a thought of how I would get back down.”
Quiet
“I’ve grown quiet now. You won’t hear me talk about you anymore. It doesn’t hurt like it used to. I suppose that is something to be thankful for.”
Your Words
“Remember, your words are your power. Never forget your words.”
I'm so glad to having finally read some of Lang Leav's writing. I hope it will only go up from here.
I also found that listening to this song really amped-up my reading experience:
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying The Universe of Us, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
ceci-n-est-ce-pas-un-compte-rendu
September 8, 2016lang leav may become the first author to whom i don't give three chances to impress me. even though this book is free on netgalley, my past experiences with her have been so horrifying that i can't imagine this one will be so much improved that it will catapult her into "tolerable" territory. especially since, after making up her own rules as far as what "poetry" is for the past few books, with this one we are told she "evokes universal feelings with her skillfully crafted words."
so now she's making up her own words? crafting them like an artisan? a lang leav lexicon is the last thing this world needs.
so, yeah - two strikes and then the game was called for inclement weather. and then the field burned down and was repopulated by rabid wombats. and no one ever went near there again.
so now she's making up her own words? crafting them like an artisan? a lang leav lexicon is the last thing this world needs.
so, yeah - two strikes and then the game was called for inclement weather. and then the field burned down and was repopulated by rabid wombats. and no one ever went near there again.
August 25, 2017
Review can also be found here.
Rating: 0.5
I love poetry. I love it, I admire it, and I adore the challenges it presents because writing good poetry is not easy. Once, I’ve been told that “poetry is a novel condensed into a page” and yes, I’m aware that there are poems spanning more than a singular page, but it doesn’t mean that the meaning this saying is trying to convey isn’t something you shouldn’t take into account either. In fact, it has made me realise how complex and difficult it actually is to create good poetry.
The Universe of Us is the second collection of poetry written by Lang Leav that I have read. I won’t lie, I’m going to be brutally honest here so I apologize in advance to whoever who feels offended. So, turn away now while you still can. Thank you.
Now, for the actual review, I will start with a question: am I impressed with the poems here? No. With every new collection of poetry Leav publishes, I feel more and more unimpressed and more and more inclined to shred her books. Why? Oh, I don’t know. Why does it feel like I’ve read every single poem here like several hundreds of times before I even read any of them? Oh, wait, I do know! There’s nothing new about her poems here. Nothing! And, that’s just so incredibly upsetting for me because even though I didn’t give Memories a high rating, I still had expectations for Leav and those expectations—perhaps a little too high—certainly extended to The Universe of Us .
At this point, Lang Leav is like the modern poetry world’s version of Taylor Swift, only the latter is slightly better because the latter has written more on topics other than romantic/sexual love and heartbreak. Love, heartbreak, love. Okay, love is great. Heartbreak is painful. Both are universal. Love is something everybody wants and heartbreak is what most desire to avoid, but does everybody want to read about the same hyperboles and metaphors and all that jazz that’s already been used in like several thousands of other poems about love and heartbreak again? No. Honestly, how many times has stars and the sky and the moon and the sun and whatever those overused words, have been used already? Sure, some lines are timeless and they can touch your heart no matter how overused they are, but the thing is, to have similar variations written for about fifty poems in books authored by the same one person? To read lines that sound less like poetry or prose but more like something plucked out of some typical, clichéd novel because somehow tried-and-done means a greater audience?
Yeah, the above doesn’t read like prose. It reads more like something that could be the first paragraph of The Fault in Our Stars or some other similar book. Also, Leav, you need to expand your vocabulary. Seriously. It’s as though you’ve already written these poems in your previous collections as well, and the imagery they provide has been done over and over, too many times to even provide that deep meaning you’re intending for it to have. In fact, many of these prose and poems sound like you’re trying too hard, making them very insincere too.
Honestly, I don’t know about you, but when I read something, I want to read something that I can’t easily write. I want to read something that I’ve never thought about—that I’ve not seen somewhere else before. Everyone can write poetry, everyone can slap words on a page, but to make it good—to have it go above and beyond is the difficult thing. I actually liked some poems in Leav’s Memories , but there’s less than five here that holds some flickers of my interest and I’m afraid that that doesn’t raise The Universe Of Us higher on my likeability scale.
Rating: 0.5
I love poetry. I love it, I admire it, and I adore the challenges it presents because writing good poetry is not easy. Once, I’ve been told that “poetry is a novel condensed into a page” and yes, I’m aware that there are poems spanning more than a singular page, but it doesn’t mean that the meaning this saying is trying to convey isn’t something you shouldn’t take into account either. In fact, it has made me realise how complex and difficult it actually is to create good poetry.
The Universe of Us is the second collection of poetry written by Lang Leav that I have read. I won’t lie, I’m going to be brutally honest here so I apologize in advance to whoever who feels offended. So, turn away now while you still can. Thank you.
Now, for the actual review, I will start with a question: am I impressed with the poems here? No. With every new collection of poetry Leav publishes, I feel more and more unimpressed and more and more inclined to shred her books. Why? Oh, I don’t know. Why does it feel like I’ve read every single poem here like several hundreds of times before I even read any of them? Oh, wait, I do know! There’s nothing new about her poems here. Nothing! And, that’s just so incredibly upsetting for me because even though I didn’t give Memories a high rating, I still had expectations for Leav and those expectations—perhaps a little too high—certainly extended to The Universe of Us .
At this point, Lang Leav is like the modern poetry world’s version of Taylor Swift, only the latter is slightly better because the latter has written more on topics other than romantic/sexual love and heartbreak. Love, heartbreak, love. Okay, love is great. Heartbreak is painful. Both are universal. Love is something everybody wants and heartbreak is what most desire to avoid, but does everybody want to read about the same hyperboles and metaphors and all that jazz that’s already been used in like several thousands of other poems about love and heartbreak again? No. Honestly, how many times has stars and the sky and the moon and the sun and whatever those overused words, have been used already? Sure, some lines are timeless and they can touch your heart no matter how overused they are, but the thing is, to have similar variations written for about fifty poems in books authored by the same one person? To read lines that sound less like poetry or prose but more like something plucked out of some typical, clichéd novel because somehow tried-and-done means a greater audience?
"Do you think there is the possibility of you and I? In this lifetime, is that too much to hope for? There is something so delicate about this time, so fragile. And if nothing ever comes of it, at least I have known this feeling, this wonderful sense of optimism. It is something I can always keep close to me—to draw from in my darkest hour like a ray of unspent sunshine. No matter what happens next, I will always be glad to know there is someone like you in the world.” – ‘Someone Like You’, page 15.
Yeah, the above doesn’t read like prose. It reads more like something that could be the first paragraph of The Fault in Our Stars or some other similar book. Also, Leav, you need to expand your vocabulary. Seriously. It’s as though you’ve already written these poems in your previous collections as well, and the imagery they provide has been done over and over, too many times to even provide that deep meaning you’re intending for it to have. In fact, many of these prose and poems sound like you’re trying too hard, making them very insincere too.
Honestly, I don’t know about you, but when I read something, I want to read something that I can’t easily write. I want to read something that I’ve never thought about—that I’ve not seen somewhere else before. Everyone can write poetry, everyone can slap words on a page, but to make it good—to have it go above and beyond is the difficult thing. I actually liked some poems in Leav’s Memories , but there’s less than five here that holds some flickers of my interest and I’m afraid that that doesn’t raise The Universe Of Us higher on my likeability scale.
March 18, 2017
17 year old me would have loved this, 22 year old me is just not feeling it.
April 6, 2017
The Universe of Us is by far my favorite of Lang Leav's books. Maybe because I related to so many of the poems, but it's also so beautiful. I could see an overarching story amidst the smaller stories in each poem. So many emotions were expressed. One of the things I love about poetry is that it portrays so many feelings, and they're not necessarily examples of how to. I love seeing and relating to other people's raw emotions. This books felt the most like that out of her other books I've read. Love love love it.
i-don-t-dare
September 8, 2016For the love of Pushkin; another collection.
Lang Leav's poetry with a dash of Coelho now; a terrific use of trees.
For moreinformation rants:
Love & Misadventure
Lullabies
Memories
Sep 08, 16
from A Premonition
But when I look at you, I just know instinctively, that despite the odds against you and although life will always find a way to test you, someday you’ll have everything you want. Your ending will be a happy one.
Lang Leav's poetry with a dash of Coelho now; a terrific use of trees.
For more
Love & Misadventure
Lullabies
Memories
Sep 08, 16
October 23, 2016
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I find this better than Lullabies. Lang Leav's love poems are fascinating and beautifully written. Most of it are emotionally stirring and heartfelt. I must admit some of them are repetitive and a little boring. It's still a great go-to read.
I find this better than Lullabies. Lang Leav's love poems are fascinating and beautifully written. Most of it are emotionally stirring and heartfelt. I must admit some of them are repetitive and a little boring. It's still a great go-to read.
July 20, 2017
“I believe we think more deeply about the universe when we're falling in love. I think the mysterious pull that draws you to another person is identical to the one that moves our eyes upward to the stars.”<...> “In many ways, a book is, in itself, a tiny universe. Each page is like a newly formed galaxy, fashioned from a single, pulsing thought. A book travels for days, for years, sometimes for centuries to meet you at an exact point in time.”
As much as I would love to give it more credit, the book is alright, “but not handsome enough to tempt me.”
My personal opinion is that this one may suit young adults better than people of other ages, but still, the choice is all yours to pick it up and read the hell out of it. There are some well-said quotes worth pointing out anyway:
To know him
“If you want to know his heart, pay close attention to what angers him.
If you want to know his mind, listen for the words that linger in his silence.
If you want to know his soul, look at where his eyes are when you catch him smiling.”
A whole universe
“When you lose a person, a whole universe goes along with them.”
The loneliest place
“Sometimes the loneliest place to be is in love.”
A beautiful collision
“But our bodies are made of stardust, and we are hurtling through space and time, toward the most beautiful collision.”
As much as I would love to give it more credit, the book is alright, “but not handsome enough to tempt me.”
My personal opinion is that this one may suit young adults better than people of other ages, but still, the choice is all yours to pick it up and read the hell out of it. There are some well-said quotes worth pointing out anyway:
To know him
“If you want to know his heart, pay close attention to what angers him.
If you want to know his mind, listen for the words that linger in his silence.
If you want to know his soul, look at where his eyes are when you catch him smiling.”
A whole universe
“When you lose a person, a whole universe goes along with them.”
The loneliest place
“Sometimes the loneliest place to be is in love.”
A beautiful collision
“But our bodies are made of stardust, and we are hurtling through space and time, toward the most beautiful collision.”
December 23, 2016
I have come to love reading poetry lately. In a matter of a few short sentences, poets can often evoke such vibrant feelings that paragraphs and essay cannot imitate in the least.
Sometimes, we just need less words and more feeling.
The Universe of Us, is a poetically breathtaking piece of work. It’s deep and thoughtful and strikingly passionate. In a series of different poetic forms, the author is able to take the reader on the endless journey of love and describe it in so many beautiful and tragic ways.
Tell me that story again—the one where the world ends how it began with a boy who loves a girl and a girl who loves a boy. And she is deaf and he is blind and he tells her he loves her over and over and she writes him every day but never hears a thing back.
It expressed heartbreak and first love and last love and everything in between in shimmering words and vivid imagery. The words are so raw and thoughtful that it skips the brain and seeps straight into the heart.
I like to think it (this book) has found you for a reason, even if that reason is only to draw your eyes skyward once more.
4.5 stars!!
March 14, 2018
Q:
Remember, your words are your power. Never forget your words. (c)
Q:
We drift from star to star, your soul and mine as one (c)
Wow! This is unexpectedly cool, poetic and evocative! I might become a fan!
I feel the need to memorise half this book...
Beware of spoilers!!!
Q:
Magic tumbled from her pretty lips and when she spoke the language of the universe—the stars sighed in unison. —Michael Faudet
I believe we think more deeply about the universe when we’re falling in love. I think the mysterious pull that draws you to another person is identical to the one that moves our eyes upward to the stars. ...
As a child, I always loved the romance of the night sky. While writing this new body of work, I revisited that sense of wonder and fascination that I have held as far back as I can remember. The sentiment can be best described as a mixture of nostalgia and longing.
In many ways, a book is, in itself, a tiny universe. Each page is like a newly formed galaxy, fashioned from a single, pulsing thought. A book travels for days, for years, sometimes for centuries to meet you at an exact point in time.
I hope you enjoy The Universe of Us as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. I like to think it has found you for a reason, even if that reason is only to draw your eyes skyward once more. (c)
Q:
I would blanket the world in utter darkness; I would pull back the veil of light and reveal to you a blinding crescendo of stars.
I would drain all the seven seas and ask you to count—one by one—every grain of sand that clings to the ocean floor.
I would tally the beat of every human heart that has echoed since the dawn of our becoming.
And as you look in awe at the sheer magnitude of my admission, I would take your hand in mine and tell you; if only you had let me, this is how much I could have loved you. (c)
Q:
To stretch out my hand and touch the soft, yielding warmth of your skin. But now I have learned the secret of distance. Now I know being close to you was never about the proximity. (c)
Q:
To the man I love, to my future.
The first time I felt your presence, I began joining the dots in the sky, wondering when our stars would align. ...
I know you and I are the same in that way—we bruise a little more easily than most. You see, our souls were made in the same breath.
I know I’m running late—I’m sorry. Things haven’t worked out the way I planned. But believe me when I tell you I am on my way.
Until then, think of me, dream of me and I will do the same. One day I will learn your name, and I will write it somewhere on this page. And we will realize that we have known each other all along.(c)
Q:
There is something so delicate about this time, so fragile. And if nothing ever comes of it, at least I have known this feeling, this wonderful sense of optimism. It is something I can always keep close to me—to draw from in my darkest hour like a ray of unspent sunshine. No matter what happens next, I will always be glad to know there is someone like you in the world. (c)
Q:
Your Life
You’ve wandered off too far,
you’ve forgotten who you are;
you’ve let down the ones you love,
you’ve given up too much.
You once made a deal with time,
but it’s slipping by too fast;
you can’t borrow from the future,
to make up for the past.
You forsake all that you hold dear,
for a dream that is not your own;
you would rather live a lie—
than live your life alone (c)
Q:
if I am so hard to love, then let me run wild. My love is not a testament to my surrender....
I will never give you what you want in chains. (c)
Q:
But tomorrow, tomorrow could be different, and that is what keeps me going today. (c)
Q:
Are you okay; because I love you.
Are you okay; because I need you.
Are you okay; because I don’t know how to live without you. (c)
Q:
We may not be in love anymore, but you’re still the only one who knows me. (c)
Q:
When was the last time you felt like someone knew you and not the person you’ve been pretending to be. When was the last time you felt like yourself. (c)
Q:
A Lesson
There is a girl who smiles all the time,
to show the world that she is fine.
A boy who surrounds himself with friends,
wishes that his life would end.
For those that say they never knew—
the saddest leave the least of clues (c)
Q:
It was a kind love, a selfless love. I was a dreamer, and you were a traveler. We met at the crossroads. I saw love in your smile, and I recognized it for the first time in my life. But you had a plane to catch, and I was already home. (c)
Q:
Yes, I think it is entirely possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met. Physicality is an expression of intimacy—not an indication of it. (c)
Q:
A Winter Love
We were like
the raging sea,
a winter love
that could not be.
Our voices were
the ocean’s roar,
we cried until
we could cry no more.
We mocked the storms
and they fell the trees,
our broken limbs
among scattered leaves.
The tides had shown
what we did not heed,
the water holds—
and then recedes. (c)
Q:
Her Time
She has been feeling it for awhile—that sense of awakening. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her—she will nurture it and let it grow. She won’t let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core—this is her time. She will not only climb mountains—she will move them too. (c)
Q:
I have walked through the ruins of an empire as it fell through the passageway of time. I have witnessed star after star exploding like fireworks, as I fixed my gaze light-years into the sky. (c)
Q:
Epiphany
Here are the words that have brought me to a new understanding. Here are the words that will bind us forever. From this day forward, I will speak your name with gratitude, knowing it is the mantra of my soul. I will let you go, knowing we are eternal. We were born to walk this world in intersecting lines. We are circles and signposts and parallels. I have left markers for you at every turn. Look for me in everything that catches your breath. Let the simple miracle of your own presence overwhelm you. For you are beautiful, in ways that can’t be described. And we are love at its most inexplicable. With these words, I am one with divinity. With these words, I am one with you. (c)
Q:
Are you like me? Are you alive or just pretending? (c)
Q:
Awake
I was loved in my dreams last night. It echoed through me like thunder—I felt it through and through.
When I woke up, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his arms around me and the sound of his voice, already half forgotten.
The loss was indescribable. And I couldn’t help that feeling of certainty that I have felt this way before. Somewhere in time, throughout the ages, I was loved—I was loved and my eyes were wide open. (c)
Q:
Nine Lives
Does the past ever appear before you, like a bolt in the blue? Something or someone from many lives ago. It knocks you right off your feet, just when you thought you’d found solid ground. But it’s only an illusion, isn’t it? (c)
Q:
A Beautiful Collision
There was a feeling of inevitability when I met you. The sense that we would be together; that there would be a moment when you would look at me in a certain way, and we would cross the threshold from friendship into something so much more.
We spoke once about lovers who kept finding each other, no matter how many times the world came between them. ...
But our bodies are made of stardust, and we are hurtling through space and time, toward the most beautiful collision. (c)
Q:
She walks the earth freely, yet her feet never touch the ground. Many hands will reach for her, but she cannot be anchored. She belongs to no one, to nothing, to nowhere. When you meet her, you will recognize her for who she is—a free spirit, a wandering star. (c)
Q:
The Essence
I saw a swaying tree,
I felt it sway in me.
A bird trilled out her song,
To me this song belongs.
What’s given is not gone—
in something it lives on (c)
Q:
She doesn’t know how she came to be like this, how she ended up here. She only remembers the way she used to be—wild and reckless. Bold and unapologetic. (c)
Q:
Circles
My mind, a Venn diagram.
You, the overlap and the intersect;
a pulsating glimmer—omnipresent,
a lighthouse with its glowing breath.
You are the stone that skirts the river,
that skips along its crystal plane;
a surface skimmed by concentric shimmer,
and trembles with the touch of rain.
You are worlds that spin in orbit,
a star who rose and fell;
infinity summoned for audit—
a penny toss in the wishing well (c)
Q:
Tell me where to put the stars. Show me how the oceans keep spilling over. Your smile is a blazing trail of light, shot down from the heavens. (c)
Q:
He
He is the thought behind the feeling,
the swelling in my chest;
the starlight in the evening,
the yearning when I undress.
He is the sound behind the sighing,
the song of every bird;
the tears in all my crying,
the ache in every word (c)
Q:
He and I collided like two predestined stars and in that brief moment I felt what it was like to be immortal. (c)
Remember, your words are your power. Never forget your words. (c)
Q:
We drift from star to star, your soul and mine as one (c)
Wow! This is unexpectedly cool, poetic and evocative! I might become a fan!
I feel the need to memorise half this book...
Beware of spoilers!!!
Q:
Magic tumbled from her pretty lips and when she spoke the language of the universe—the stars sighed in unison. —Michael Faudet
I believe we think more deeply about the universe when we’re falling in love. I think the mysterious pull that draws you to another person is identical to the one that moves our eyes upward to the stars. ...
As a child, I always loved the romance of the night sky. While writing this new body of work, I revisited that sense of wonder and fascination that I have held as far back as I can remember. The sentiment can be best described as a mixture of nostalgia and longing.
In many ways, a book is, in itself, a tiny universe. Each page is like a newly formed galaxy, fashioned from a single, pulsing thought. A book travels for days, for years, sometimes for centuries to meet you at an exact point in time.
I hope you enjoy The Universe of Us as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. I like to think it has found you for a reason, even if that reason is only to draw your eyes skyward once more. (c)
Q:
I would blanket the world in utter darkness; I would pull back the veil of light and reveal to you a blinding crescendo of stars.
I would drain all the seven seas and ask you to count—one by one—every grain of sand that clings to the ocean floor.
I would tally the beat of every human heart that has echoed since the dawn of our becoming.
And as you look in awe at the sheer magnitude of my admission, I would take your hand in mine and tell you; if only you had let me, this is how much I could have loved you. (c)
Q:
To stretch out my hand and touch the soft, yielding warmth of your skin. But now I have learned the secret of distance. Now I know being close to you was never about the proximity. (c)
Q:
To the man I love, to my future.
The first time I felt your presence, I began joining the dots in the sky, wondering when our stars would align. ...
I know you and I are the same in that way—we bruise a little more easily than most. You see, our souls were made in the same breath.
I know I’m running late—I’m sorry. Things haven’t worked out the way I planned. But believe me when I tell you I am on my way.
Until then, think of me, dream of me and I will do the same. One day I will learn your name, and I will write it somewhere on this page. And we will realize that we have known each other all along.(c)
Q:
There is something so delicate about this time, so fragile. And if nothing ever comes of it, at least I have known this feeling, this wonderful sense of optimism. It is something I can always keep close to me—to draw from in my darkest hour like a ray of unspent sunshine. No matter what happens next, I will always be glad to know there is someone like you in the world. (c)
Q:
Your Life
You’ve wandered off too far,
you’ve forgotten who you are;
you’ve let down the ones you love,
you’ve given up too much.
You once made a deal with time,
but it’s slipping by too fast;
you can’t borrow from the future,
to make up for the past.
You forsake all that you hold dear,
for a dream that is not your own;
you would rather live a lie—
than live your life alone (c)
Q:
if I am so hard to love, then let me run wild. My love is not a testament to my surrender....
I will never give you what you want in chains. (c)
Q:
But tomorrow, tomorrow could be different, and that is what keeps me going today. (c)
Q:
Are you okay; because I love you.
Are you okay; because I need you.
Are you okay; because I don’t know how to live without you. (c)
Q:
We may not be in love anymore, but you’re still the only one who knows me. (c)
Q:
When was the last time you felt like someone knew you and not the person you’ve been pretending to be. When was the last time you felt like yourself. (c)
Q:
A Lesson
There is a girl who smiles all the time,
to show the world that she is fine.
A boy who surrounds himself with friends,
wishes that his life would end.
For those that say they never knew—
the saddest leave the least of clues (c)
Q:
It was a kind love, a selfless love. I was a dreamer, and you were a traveler. We met at the crossroads. I saw love in your smile, and I recognized it for the first time in my life. But you had a plane to catch, and I was already home. (c)
Q:
Yes, I think it is entirely possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met. Physicality is an expression of intimacy—not an indication of it. (c)
Q:
A Winter Love
We were like
the raging sea,
a winter love
that could not be.
Our voices were
the ocean’s roar,
we cried until
we could cry no more.
We mocked the storms
and they fell the trees,
our broken limbs
among scattered leaves.
The tides had shown
what we did not heed,
the water holds—
and then recedes. (c)
Q:
Her Time
She has been feeling it for awhile—that sense of awakening. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her—she will nurture it and let it grow. She won’t let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core—this is her time. She will not only climb mountains—she will move them too. (c)
Q:
I have walked through the ruins of an empire as it fell through the passageway of time. I have witnessed star after star exploding like fireworks, as I fixed my gaze light-years into the sky. (c)
Q:
Epiphany
Here are the words that have brought me to a new understanding. Here are the words that will bind us forever. From this day forward, I will speak your name with gratitude, knowing it is the mantra of my soul. I will let you go, knowing we are eternal. We were born to walk this world in intersecting lines. We are circles and signposts and parallels. I have left markers for you at every turn. Look for me in everything that catches your breath. Let the simple miracle of your own presence overwhelm you. For you are beautiful, in ways that can’t be described. And we are love at its most inexplicable. With these words, I am one with divinity. With these words, I am one with you. (c)
Q:
Are you like me? Are you alive or just pretending? (c)
Q:
Awake
I was loved in my dreams last night. It echoed through me like thunder—I felt it through and through.
When I woke up, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his arms around me and the sound of his voice, already half forgotten.
The loss was indescribable. And I couldn’t help that feeling of certainty that I have felt this way before. Somewhere in time, throughout the ages, I was loved—I was loved and my eyes were wide open. (c)
Q:
Nine Lives
Does the past ever appear before you, like a bolt in the blue? Something or someone from many lives ago. It knocks you right off your feet, just when you thought you’d found solid ground. But it’s only an illusion, isn’t it? (c)
Q:
A Beautiful Collision
There was a feeling of inevitability when I met you. The sense that we would be together; that there would be a moment when you would look at me in a certain way, and we would cross the threshold from friendship into something so much more.
We spoke once about lovers who kept finding each other, no matter how many times the world came between them. ...
But our bodies are made of stardust, and we are hurtling through space and time, toward the most beautiful collision. (c)
Q:
She walks the earth freely, yet her feet never touch the ground. Many hands will reach for her, but she cannot be anchored. She belongs to no one, to nothing, to nowhere. When you meet her, you will recognize her for who she is—a free spirit, a wandering star. (c)
Q:
The Essence
I saw a swaying tree,
I felt it sway in me.
A bird trilled out her song,
To me this song belongs.
What’s given is not gone—
in something it lives on (c)
Q:
She doesn’t know how she came to be like this, how she ended up here. She only remembers the way she used to be—wild and reckless. Bold and unapologetic. (c)
Q:
Circles
My mind, a Venn diagram.
You, the overlap and the intersect;
a pulsating glimmer—omnipresent,
a lighthouse with its glowing breath.
You are the stone that skirts the river,
that skips along its crystal plane;
a surface skimmed by concentric shimmer,
and trembles with the touch of rain.
You are worlds that spin in orbit,
a star who rose and fell;
infinity summoned for audit—
a penny toss in the wishing well (c)
Q:
Tell me where to put the stars. Show me how the oceans keep spilling over. Your smile is a blazing trail of light, shot down from the heavens. (c)
Q:
He
He is the thought behind the feeling,
the swelling in my chest;
the starlight in the evening,
the yearning when I undress.
He is the sound behind the sighing,
the song of every bird;
the tears in all my crying,
the ache in every word (c)
Q:
He and I collided like two predestined stars and in that brief moment I felt what it was like to be immortal. (c)
June 29, 2022
I had yet to learn the most destructive thing in the world is the quiet yearning between to people who long to find their way back to each other.
Me urge que me rompan el corazón para que estos libros me den más duro.
Yo ya había leído a Lang Leav con su poemario Sea of Strangers, que me gustó mucho de hecho, y quería leer algo más de ella. Vi este n Scribd y me lo aventé en nada. Al cerrarlo, quedé satisfecho, pero con una espinita de que esperaba que me gustara más.
Por la introducción creí que este libro sería más romántico pero en realidad te muestra la relación completa, de inicio a fin y lo que sucede después. Hubieron algunos poemas que me gustaron mucho, especialmente los que relataban el inicio de la relación. Pero, nuevamente, me faltó conectar con algunos.
Nunca tengo mucho que decir de este tipo de libros porque mi opinion es demasiado subjetiva, pero algo que si puedo decir es que planeo continuar leyendo a la autora y espero encontrar un poemario suyo que me enamore por completo.
Me urge que me rompan el corazón para que estos libros me den más duro.
Yo ya había leído a Lang Leav con su poemario Sea of Strangers, que me gustó mucho de hecho, y quería leer algo más de ella. Vi este n Scribd y me lo aventé en nada. Al cerrarlo, quedé satisfecho, pero con una espinita de que esperaba que me gustara más.
Por la introducción creí que este libro sería más romántico pero en realidad te muestra la relación completa, de inicio a fin y lo que sucede después. Hubieron algunos poemas que me gustaron mucho, especialmente los que relataban el inicio de la relación. Pero, nuevamente, me faltó conectar con algunos.
Nunca tengo mucho que decir de este tipo de libros porque mi opinion es demasiado subjetiva, pero algo que si puedo decir es que planeo continuar leyendo a la autora y espero encontrar un poemario suyo que me enamore por completo.
January 2, 2017
He said loving me was like seeing the ocean for the first time. Watching the waves crash senselessly against the rocks, over and over. Grabbing fistfuls of sand as it trickled through his fingers, like my hair, brittle as ebony, strong and taut like the bumps of his knuckles. He said it was like swallowing his first mouthful of the sea-the sudden shock of betrayal. He said loving me was like panning for gold. Sifting through arsenic, waist-deep in toil. Lured by the shimmer and promise of transcendence, like the river between my lips, a floodgate that opens for him-only when I choose. And I told him, ifI am so hard to love, then let me run wild My love is not a testament to my surrender. I will show you just how much I love you, with the inward draw ofevery breath- the collective sigh of the world and all its despair. But I will never give you what you want in chains.
I enjoyed this book but not as much as love and misadventure and lullabies
I love her style in writing. It's so simple,beautiful and conveys a deep meaning
I enjoyed this book but not as much as love and misadventure and lullabies
I love her style in writing. It's so simple,beautiful and conveys a deep meaning
September 3, 2016
Lang Leav has become extremely popular with her poetry collections ever since her debut collection Love & Misadventure. Misadventure was voted second in the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2013 (beat out by Tolkien), Lullabies, her second poetry collection, actually won the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards, and her third collection, Memories, was once again second place in the 2015 Awards. Clearly, she’s popular and she’s consistently hitting the mark with her targeted audience. Unfortunately, I am not a part of that audience, and I definitely do not see how her words manage to provoke such a euphoric state. I have admittedly only read Leav’s debut poetry collection, Love & Misadventure. The poems rhymed to an excessive degree, they weren’t particularly moving, and there was even one about flossing. FLOSSING. Yet, as I already stated, her popularity never faltered. I saw the upcoming release of The Universe of Us and thought that I really should give her another shot, because I kept thinking it possible that she had gotten better and her writing could be something I’d be able to appreciate along with the masses.
Despite my preconceived notions, I still tried to go into this with an open mind. And at first, I think I was actually enjoying myself. Naturally I thought I had a fever, but I figured there could be a possibility that it was a more evolved collection and that I wouldn’t have to read anything about flossing. The flossing one really bothered me, folks.
There were also several pieces of her artwork included for an added flair, except I really have no clue what the fuck is going on in this one. I think she’s setting the boat on fire with a magnifying glass?
Honestly, I have no fucking clue. Regardless of the “meaning”, she does have some lovely pieces to admire. And there are actually some lovely poems as well, the only problem is they are few and far between. Leav consistently falls back on her excessive rhyming in order to drive the point that this is a poem, people, bask in its glory. Okay, she doesn’t actually say that but rhyming is not a prerequisite of poetry but it’s a common trend in her work. And then there are the ones that aren’t poetry, some are just declarative statements, and others are nothing more than a simple conversation.
To me, this just doesn’t strike me as anything unique or requiring any sort of special skill. It felt like nothing more than filler. While there were a few that even I could appreciate, the vast majority of these still failed to impress me and didn’t help me understand the reason for her ongoing popularity. I feel these poems are targeted to the type of individuals that have always said they don’t like poetry. Reading this and loving it won’t make you a fan of poetry though, because while Leav may have some grasp on how to combine words to make something sound beautiful, there really isn’t any sort of depth. There’s nothing particularly profound or complex and if that manages to work for you, great, but I’m going to go read some Plath now.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Despite my preconceived notions, I still tried to go into this with an open mind. And at first, I think I was actually enjoying myself. Naturally I thought I had a fever, but I figured there could be a possibility that it was a more evolved collection and that I wouldn’t have to read anything about flossing. The flossing one really bothered me, folks.
There were also several pieces of her artwork included for an added flair, except I really have no clue what the fuck is going on in this one. I think she’s setting the boat on fire with a magnifying glass?
Honestly, I have no fucking clue. Regardless of the “meaning”, she does have some lovely pieces to admire. And there are actually some lovely poems as well, the only problem is they are few and far between. Leav consistently falls back on her excessive rhyming in order to drive the point that this is a poem, people, bask in its glory. Okay, she doesn’t actually say that but rhyming is not a prerequisite of poetry but it’s a common trend in her work. And then there are the ones that aren’t poetry, some are just declarative statements, and others are nothing more than a simple conversation.
To me, this just doesn’t strike me as anything unique or requiring any sort of special skill. It felt like nothing more than filler. While there were a few that even I could appreciate, the vast majority of these still failed to impress me and didn’t help me understand the reason for her ongoing popularity. I feel these poems are targeted to the type of individuals that have always said they don’t like poetry. Reading this and loving it won’t make you a fan of poetry though, because while Leav may have some grasp on how to combine words to make something sound beautiful, there really isn’t any sort of depth. There’s nothing particularly profound or complex and if that manages to work for you, great, but I’m going to go read some Plath now.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
August 26, 2016
I didn't know Lang Leav until today. Shame on me.
I've always hated poetry with a passion. School did that to me. It made me think poetry is just a bunch of boring words put together to torment me. The poets I had to study (with the exception of George Bacovia) used complicated words to say nonsense. I've always thought of them as some sadistic bastards who composed on their toilets for the sole purpose of tormenting children during their classes. Just miles of verses you had to memorize not to get a bad grade. And when I finished high school, on my final oral exam, what do you think I got? Poetry, of course. But there's always a silver lining, and the poet was Bacovia. Not only did I know to analyze his work, but I knew some poems by heart. Good thing his depressing work spoke to my teenage-self.
But enough of mytormented past. This year I decided on a whim to give poetry another chance. I thought that if nobody made me read it, it would be more enjoyable. So I started the year with the Bronte sisters, and now I found this precious gem on NetGalley.
Wow! Not only did I like it, I loved it! No poem ever made me shed tears. A Lesson made me cry like a baby.
This is beautiful and heartbreaking. Even if there are just a few lines, Leav describes the pain and suffering to such an extent, that I'm left wondering how does she know what's it like? How can she make a poem out of it? How can that poem touch my soul? It makes me think of her as a kindred spirit, or a person of such empathy that she understands the torment of those around her.
But don't be fooled. The Universe of Us is far from a depressing compilation. Her poems talk about loosing, yes, but also about hope and love, and finding your inner strength (unfortunately I'm more attuned to her sadder works). And I don't have the right words to review Leav's work properly. I hope that someone a lot smarter than me will come along and do her justice.
Anyway, go read The Universe of Us. Let your soul bask in Leav's sunshine. It will be worth your time.
As a parting note:
*I thank NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Lang Leav for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
I've always hated poetry with a passion. School did that to me. It made me think poetry is just a bunch of boring words put together to torment me. The poets I had to study (with the exception of George Bacovia) used complicated words to say nonsense. I've always thought of them as some sadistic bastards who composed on their toilets for the sole purpose of tormenting children during their classes. Just miles of verses you had to memorize not to get a bad grade. And when I finished high school, on my final oral exam, what do you think I got? Poetry, of course. But there's always a silver lining, and the poet was Bacovia. Not only did I know to analyze his work, but I knew some poems by heart. Good thing his depressing work spoke to my teenage-self.
But enough of my
Wow! Not only did I like it, I loved it! No poem ever made me shed tears. A Lesson made me cry like a baby.
A Lesson
There is a girl who smiles all the time,
to show the world that she is fine.
A boy who surrounds himself with friends,
wishes that his life would end.
For those that say they never knew-
the saddest leave the least of clues.
This is beautiful and heartbreaking. Even if there are just a few lines, Leav describes the pain and suffering to such an extent, that I'm left wondering how does she know what's it like? How can she make a poem out of it? How can that poem touch my soul? It makes me think of her as a kindred spirit, or a person of such empathy that she understands the torment of those around her.
But don't be fooled. The Universe of Us is far from a depressing compilation. Her poems talk about loosing, yes, but also about hope and love, and finding your inner strength (unfortunately I'm more attuned to her sadder works). And I don't have the right words to review Leav's work properly. I hope that someone a lot smarter than me will come along and do her justice.
Anyway, go read The Universe of Us. Let your soul bask in Leav's sunshine. It will be worth your time.
As a parting note:
Your Words
Remember, your words are your power. Never forget your words.
*I thank NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Lang Leav for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2017
Lang Leav does it again and gets to the deepest part of me.
I feel like reading her is like magic. I've never felt so related to poetry before I discovered her, and her books don't stop surprising me.
Full review to come.
I feel like reading her is like magic. I've never felt so related to poetry before I discovered her, and her books don't stop surprising me.
Full review to come.
July 9, 2024
reread - same rating
enjoyable, easy yet addictive poetry as per usual
enjoyable, easy yet addictive poetry as per usual
August 6, 2021
Second Read: Read this all over again just so I can highlight all the beautiful parts I love <3
✨ 3.75 beautiful stars ✨
I really enjoyed reading this beauty of a work. So many descriptions and deep thoughts and everything I just...
Heartbreaking stories, love, feelings, the universe, fate, coincidence, decisions. I LOVED it. I guess it's just me having this book as one of the first real poetry books I read that stopped me from understanding it completely. There was the pain, there was first love, there were so many and so many different feelings that I couldn't get proper words out of me. It was tragic and mesmerizing at the same time.
“The second I tried to tell myself I wasn’t in love was the moment I realized I was.”
“When you lose a person, a whole universe goes along with them.”
“Tell me that story again—the one where the world ends how it began with a boy who loves a girl and a girl who loves a boy. And she is deaf and he is blind and he tells her he loves her over and over and she writes him every day but never hears a thing back.”
✨ 3.75 beautiful stars ✨
I really enjoyed reading this beauty of a work. So many descriptions and deep thoughts and everything I just...
Heartbreaking stories, love, feelings, the universe, fate, coincidence, decisions. I LOVED it. I guess it's just me having this book as one of the first real poetry books I read that stopped me from understanding it completely. There was the pain, there was first love, there were so many and so many different feelings that I couldn't get proper words out of me. It was tragic and mesmerizing at the same time.
“The second I tried to tell myself I wasn’t in love was the moment I realized I was.”
“When you lose a person, a whole universe goes along with them.”
“Tell me that story again—the one where the world ends how it began with a boy who loves a girl and a girl who loves a boy. And she is deaf and he is blind and he tells her he loves her over and over and she writes him every day but never hears a thing back.”
December 22, 2017
3.5 stars
I think this might be my favourite Lang Laev book so far. I somehow always try out new poetry books when I'm at my lowest self and at my worst state and apparently that's the secret key to understanding it better. I'm currently battling a lot of demons and my mental health is really bad but I'm glad I picked up The Universe of Us even though falling in love is not the main issue in my life right now. Out of all the poems I loved Once, The Butterfly Effect and Your Darkest Self the most. I know that people generally like to bash Lang Laev and her poetry but this was kind of what I needed and although it rised a lot of questions in me, it also calmed me down a little bit as well and I'm thankful for that.
I think this might be my favourite Lang Laev book so far. I somehow always try out new poetry books when I'm at my lowest self and at my worst state and apparently that's the secret key to understanding it better. I'm currently battling a lot of demons and my mental health is really bad but I'm glad I picked up The Universe of Us even though falling in love is not the main issue in my life right now. Out of all the poems I loved Once, The Butterfly Effect and Your Darkest Self the most. I know that people generally like to bash Lang Laev and her poetry but this was kind of what I needed and although it rised a lot of questions in me, it also calmed me down a little bit as well and I'm thankful for that.
April 1, 2019
Honestly contemporary poetry just isn’t for me. It just all seems regurgitated. I tried.
March 6, 2021
Won't really call this a poetry, but whatever random thoughts were written kinda felt good.
August 14, 2017
oh god i dont even know why i give this book a chance since i hate lullabies and memories but here i am. one thing that i know for sure after finish this book is i hate Lang Leav so much because she writes completely shallow bullshit in literary form and markets it as art.
October 20, 2016
WOW!!!!
This book was so incredible and it literally made me feel every emotion I could possibly think of! I'm fairly new to poetry so I don't have a lot to compare this to but this book inspired me so much! I felt happy, inspired, strong, I laughed, I got choked up and honestly almost cried a few times! This book has a little bit of everything and it's practically perfect! I'm gushing!!!
5/5 stars absolutely!!!
This book was so incredible and it literally made me feel every emotion I could possibly think of! I'm fairly new to poetry so I don't have a lot to compare this to but this book inspired me so much! I felt happy, inspired, strong, I laughed, I got choked up and honestly almost cried a few times! This book has a little bit of everything and it's practically perfect! I'm gushing!!!
5/5 stars absolutely!!!
December 30, 2016
“It was a kind love, a selfless love. I was a dreamer, and you were a traveler. We met at the crossroads. I saw love in your smile, and I recognized it for the first time in my life. But you had a plane to catch, and I was already home.”
December 2, 2017
It’s hard to tell because they all blur together. But I think I liked this more than Lullabies, but less than Love and Misadventure!
January 8, 2017
When a writer meets the bare conditions of a form, can the writer be said to be the master of that form? Put another way, Lang Leav meets the conditions of poetry in her latest book, The Universe of Us. Each page contains an emotion (love), its absence (heartbreak or loneliness) and some lines about same, but can she call herself a poet?
How about if a few thousand Asian women roughly her age and her East Asian studies publisher-boyfriend think Lang Leav is an accomplished poet, does group aspiration make this fact true? Partially. Only within the group.
I do think her books may serve a useful function that is related to English poetry. I would say that it is gateway poetry in English for the Asian ESL set. To illustrate this point, I want you to read my beautiful and accomplished poetry that I have slaved over for many nights, which springs from my innumerable passionate, love affairs.
我很伤心。
新的爱是一个开放的宇宙。
我不再伤心。
If you are an ESL teacher currently teaching in Mainland China, I am probably the most stylish and best Mandarin poet that you have now ever heard of. Quite humbly, I am a modern master. I have now taught you everything about modern Mandarin poetry, which I have precociously conquered. I also freed this strain of poetry from its historical precedents, which I have no need of learning. I am amazing.
How about if a few thousand Asian women roughly her age and her East Asian studies publisher-boyfriend think Lang Leav is an accomplished poet, does group aspiration make this fact true? Partially. Only within the group.
I do think her books may serve a useful function that is related to English poetry. I would say that it is gateway poetry in English for the Asian ESL set. To illustrate this point, I want you to read my beautiful and accomplished poetry that I have slaved over for many nights, which springs from my innumerable passionate, love affairs.
我很伤心。
新的爱是一个开放的宇宙。
我不再伤心。
If you are an ESL teacher currently teaching in Mainland China, I am probably the most stylish and best Mandarin poet that you have now ever heard of. Quite humbly, I am a modern master. I have now taught you everything about modern Mandarin poetry, which I have precociously conquered. I also freed this strain of poetry from its historical precedents, which I have no need of learning. I am amazing.
March 19, 2020
Perfect. This poetry collection found me at the exact right time.
“Today I am not in my skin. My body cannot contain me. I am spilling out and over, like a rogue wave on the shore. Today I can't keep myself from feeling like I don't have a friend in the world. And no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to pick myself up off the floor. My demons are lying in wait, they are grinning in the shadows, their polished fangs glinting, knowing today, it will be an easy kill. But tomorrow, tomorrow could be different, and that is what keeps me going today.”
December 27, 2018
This is so beautiful. I never expected to like poems but now thanks to Lang Leav and Rupi Kaur I can´t get enough of them.
This collection of poems about love is so beautiful I will never get over this. Wow.
This collection of poems about love is so beautiful I will never get over this. Wow.
November 18, 2017
The Universe of Us is startling! Every poem is perfectly written! I couldn’t stop reading it once I started, it literally made me feel like I was on another planet
February 5, 2022
lang leav - the owner of my soul <33333333333
November 27, 2016
This book has turned out to be my official favorite book by Lang Leav.
As the title says, this book is an universe full of constellations of words, and thoughts, and magic. As I read, I wanted the pages to extend and multiply, and never end. My heart connected so deeply with so many poetries in this book that it almost felt as if my heart itself was the one who wrote them.
There is heart ache and heartbreak. Heart in love, and heart loved. Self love, hope, lost, freedom. The words are like music, so soft and enchanting.
A piece of art, like a pastel painting on a white wall in a gigantic hall, The Universe of Us is simply delightful. Exquisite. You want to eat it in only one sitting but never wanting it to have an end.
Having to choose one favorite poem from it is quite difficult, but I will try.
Her Time
She has been feeling it for awhile- that sense of awakening. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her- she will nurture it and let it grow. She won't let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core- this is her time. She will not only climb mountains- she will move them too.
Fully recommended to everyone who enjoys words and the love, pain, freedom, peace and hope they carry with. You will fall in love with it.
As the title says, this book is an universe full of constellations of words, and thoughts, and magic. As I read, I wanted the pages to extend and multiply, and never end. My heart connected so deeply with so many poetries in this book that it almost felt as if my heart itself was the one who wrote them.
There is heart ache and heartbreak. Heart in love, and heart loved. Self love, hope, lost, freedom. The words are like music, so soft and enchanting.
A piece of art, like a pastel painting on a white wall in a gigantic hall, The Universe of Us is simply delightful. Exquisite. You want to eat it in only one sitting but never wanting it to have an end.
Having to choose one favorite poem from it is quite difficult, but I will try.
Her Time
She has been feeling it for awhile- that sense of awakening. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her- she will nurture it and let it grow. She won't let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core- this is her time. She will not only climb mountains- she will move them too.
Fully recommended to everyone who enjoys words and the love, pain, freedom, peace and hope they carry with. You will fall in love with it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,427 reviews