All That Shines

Reviews

If you want to read something that will break your heart with poetry and then make it feel like you’re falling in love on the cool bluegrass under a warm Kentucky summer night sky, All That Shines is the book for you. In evocative and poignant language, Ellen Hagan captures the beauty of community and the budding aspects of young love with delicate poetry, but it’s her gorgeous backdrop of a sprawling Kentucky that truly makes this novel-in-verse stand out. All That Shines delves into the ugliness of privilege and the power of renewal with Kentucky’s rich landscape and music as a soundtrack, cementing this novel’s place among the classics. Hagan (Don’t Call Me a Hurricane) utilizes sensate verse to summarily cover hefty topics including financial precarity and privilege, as well as adeptly cultivate a sense of place that proves lively and immersive. Highlighting Chloe's insecurity, shame, and increasing self-awareness, the book elicits readers' empathy as she struggles, learns, and develops a newfound sense of self. A bitter start leads to a sweet conclusion. When I read Don't Call Me a Hurricane with my niece she said: 'a climate change activist love story in verse?! Yes, please.' We both loved taking this journey with Eliza Marino. It is a salve and good company for all of us grappling with uncertainty as we traverse these challenging times. Urgent and romantic, Don't Call Me a Hurricane beautifully demonstrates the strength of community and the power of love. The way Hagan writes about the land is the way she writes about love--with passion, humanity, and clarity. This book carried me away. Expand reviews