3 out of 4 stars
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White Wine and Medical Marijuana by Julia Cirignano is a poetry collection focused on the author’s life experiences, describing those experiences in broad, poetic terms. The collection is written in the free verse style, and poems range from only a few words to a little more than one page long.
The author’s initial preface is telling of the work to come. Though she acknowledges that neither substance mentioned in the title has aided in her creation of ‘great art,’ it is important to note that the title was chosen specifically to attract readers of a similar mind to that of the author. That being said, the collection is most likely to resonate strongly with mature young adults. The themes of the collection span relationships, breakups, alternative mental states, gender norms, and personal growth.
There were quite a few poems in this collection with prose that contained authentic feelings and descriptive experiences that were easily read and clearly relatable. Members of the target audience are sure to recall similar life experiences to those described by the author. Where the author tends to stand out is with her use of meticulous metaphors. Many times I found myself pleasantly surprised by the ease and simplicity of the metaphors used; for example, the poem ‘The Wolf’ describes an eerily familiar and dangerous presence that could easily be interpreted as depression or drug and alcohol use. The use of metaphor, with multiple potential meanings gauged by the reader’s own lens, greatly enhanced many of the poems in this collection.
The collection is imbued with a clear voice. The words and style create a vivid image of what the author is like as a person and the struggles and fears they face daily. Although this was one of the collection’s strengths, it also tended to be its biggest downfall. The themes and wording choices presented through the author’s lens lack a certain maturity and understanding. Some of the poems didn’t work as well because they were blatant about their reference to drugs, depression or relationships and breakups. The blatancy of certain poems tended to give off a bleating tone. Further, the writing was, at times, callow. Many of the topics described in the poetry are no doubt relatable, yet the poetry lacked that experienced, sophisticated eye looking back.
Since there were enjoyable poems in this collection that felt raw and managed to describe certain themes in a unique and intriguing manner, I rate White Wine and Medical Marijuana 3 out of 4 stars. The flatness of some poems and the limited audience prevented a higher rating. I recommend this collection to older teens and young adults interested in relatable poetry. The themes of angst, recreational drug and alcohol use, and finding one’s place in the world may be harder for more mature audiences to relate to.
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White Wine & Medical Marijuana
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