Pieces Book Reviews

Writers' Digest Book Awards

"In Pieces of Stained Glass by Andrea MacVicar, we are presented with poems that are full of faith and hope in the face of a changing world, one which we strive to endure while still wringing some beauty and brilliance from it. Overall, the writing is delicate and graceful, using sound and form as a way of helping the reader through the struggle that is often evoked here. The title seems to this reader to be appropriate and evocative, giving the reader a good sense of the tone of the poems to come. The overall design of the book is professional, though I would have preferred to see a difference in font types between the poem text and title so as to make a broader distinction to the eye. The cover image for the book is interesting and stark in its beauty, inviting. The book is broken into sections which help the reader to navigate the different themes and approaches that the poems encourage. A poem like “The Tunnel” shows the range of this collection in lines like “that long as light breaks black / the end is near,” that reminds us that sound can be the key to the understanding we seek."

“ I read the collection of poems, many of which convey a positive, encouraging message. I noticed echoes of well-known poets who must have influenced you. "Bluegreen" has a bit of Wordsworth's pantheism. "Quiet reminds me of Emily Dickenson's "Because I Could Not Stop For Death," in its effective use of personification. Others in their sensory appeal (p.26) remind of William Carlos Williams. I really liked the alliteration and assonance on p.30 -- "crouch curled lips ---clasped, grasped..plastic." The rhythm of "Ring Around" (p. 31) reminds me of "The Cremation of Sam MaGee." Those on pp. 20, 37, 45 remind me of e.e. cummings in style (format). In my humble opinion, one of your best talents is the clever use of sound: "palms that press to quickly parting lips... a plastic edge" and later "civilized..clinking cups.....crescent rounds ; earlier, "blackened brew." Poem on p. 35 intrigues me and I may be misinterpreting it??? (hypochondriac mother with many imagined illnesses testing a daughter's patience, leaving her weary, conveyed through rather strong images... "pieces of me ...strewn about, "heart fragmented...and seized with pain." Poem on p. 36 also suggests mother-daughter ambivalence ( unrealized expectations, more the mother's than the daughter's). I really liked the popcorn images on p. 37 "rapidly rolling into my ears like hot popped corn." There is clever coinage of new words -- the use of "arabesqueing" as a verb, for example. Strong, vibrant color is used effectively in one and p.49 has a rueful quality which would resonate with many who have experienced lost opportunities. The poem to which I most relate is on p. 46, especially the line "to where the heart and paper meet" because that is such a great succinct phrase to describe the process of writing. I too LOVE words. I SAVOR them. They DELIGHT me, FASCINATE me, allow me to EXPRESS myself and my innermost feelings.” Donna Bruno, Book Reviewer

Amazon Review
"Andrea MacVicar writes beautifully. Her poems are thought provoking, engaging, playful and funny. I was inspired by her poetry. It was a joy to read her poems and it was an even greater joy to read them aloud." Ingrid