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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Larger than Life, October 5, 2006
This review is from: Something Familiar (Paperback)
This may not be a very big book, but it's one of those deals where peeking inside reveals a whole new dimension. Kat Ricker skillfully regales the reader with those little details of life that most people take for granted, and whether in poetry or prose, she gets straight to the heart of the matter. This is no book of flowery verse, or pages overflowing with verbiage, yet in its simple language it manages to say volumes.
There's a section on "real life magic", where the author deals with unusual things in normal settings. In Ricker's world, a hank of hair becomes an object of wonder, and a mythical creature a pain in the tail. In another piece, the dream of catching that elusive foul ball is put into stark perspective when your daughter is asleep in your lap, and the final and most powerful poem in this chapter hits it home that you can't recapture the feelings of youth.
The aptly titled section "Cameo Drawer" holds the treasures of the book, with a series of little stories of ordinary people in different situations. There's the cobbler who gave up his craft to work in a lumberyard, the tale of the walnut harvester, the stranger on a bus, and in one of the hardest hitting pieces, Ricker records the tale of Martin Lee Anderson, a young man who died while incarcerated in a juvenile detention camp. One of the best pieces in the book is "Mattie's Orchids", or maybe that honor should go to "Box Closed", or perhaps "Last Dance", but I'll let you be the judge of that.
Showing her funny side, the author channels her inner biker-babe in "The Burial of Wild Bill", which she claims is "based on actual hearsay", and then launches into the saga of "Mrs. Strandedisle" and her independence day. Finally, there's a section titled "Fancy This", which is made up of a tiny little poem and a pair of fanciful fantasy tidbits.
This one's a keeper.
Amanda Richards, October 5, 2006
Note: This review is based on an Advance Review Copy - it is my understanding that the poem about Martin Lee Anderson was not in the final publication.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Quiet Yet Powerful Voice, October 4, 2006
This review is from: Something Familiar (Paperback)
Kat Ricker seems like one of those people you'd like to see every morning on a walk through the woods, or sitting quietly on a rock beside a pond, or even in the local coffee shop - somewhere where time pauses for good conversation with someone who has insight and the ability to listen and observe and share life in a way that makes the day richer.
This collection of poems and short prose, SOMETHING FAMILIAR, rings true. Ricker has that gift to notice, and in noticing remember impressions to share with friends. Fortunately for us she invites us as friends into her charmed circle with this wondrously simple gathering of observations in the form of poems and short stories. The open honesty she shares in `Walnut Harvesting in Newberg', the nonchalant listening of `Brother on the bus', little stories that become brief poignant poems like `The Pin', and the irresistible atmosphere she conjures in her descriptions of `Summer' and `Outsider' and `Box Closed' - all of these seem to flow so easily from her pen that the result is more like shared conversation than the work of a master craftsman (which Kat Ricker obviously is).
Not that everything in the book is equally good: the short stories that incorporate pencil drawings as illustrations feel a bit precious and pushed, or perhaps they are just out of place in the context of this book of familiar things. But that is a minor flaw in a first publication, an introduction to an author that makes us beg for more. Kat Ricker is as fresh as that pot of brewing jam on the stove - just before grandma scoops off the foam for our freshly homemade bread. She is delicious! Grady Harp, October 06
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vivid Imagery, October 4, 2006
This review is from: Something Familiar (Paperback)
"I knew that when I left,
I would be the only one
to rip off my heels and nylons
and stick one foot on the seat of my pick-up..."
Kat Ricker's vivid imagery and snapshot descriptions paint insightful pictures that glow with a luminous clarity. Your soul falls into her writing as she explores mysterious connections and magical realities.
Lost in an October rain, she keeps finding her way onto the wrong bus and meets a man who tells her a secret. In "Mattie's Orchids" vivid imagery paints emotion. You feel as if you are viewing a painting in an art museum and Kat is telling you the story. "Mrs. Strandedisle" is a story of a woman who suddenly finds herself in a moment open to possibility.
Rarely do I find descriptions that so vividly paint images on the canvas of my mind. The personalities of the characters Kat Ricker describes makes you long to meet them. The profound ending of "Last Dance" left me in a state of nostalgia.
The humorous tale of a mermaid and magical memories of orbs takes the stories to supernatural dimensions. "Box Closed" explores the viewpoint of a postman over the years of delivering mail to one home. The creaking floorboards in "Estate Sale" embody a subtle comfort. You want to wander in the house, lost within yourself. Each selection is an inspired moment in time, layered with carefully chosen conversations. The changing voices add intrigue, while the deep sense of human connection in her work is inspirational.
"I like to slip out when the house is all quiet," she whispers.
The moon never looked so bright.
Don't tell Mother,
but I made a secret wish,
and tomorrow there'll be orchids on the lawn."
I read "Something Familiar" on my deck as the sun was rising on a cool summer morning. As I sipped my tea, I couldn't help thinking about how Kat's writing has the comfort of cinnamon, the surprise of ginger and the mystique of star anise. Her writing is not only a journey into her magical mind; her writing will inspire a new clarity in your existence. After reading her work, I started to see the world in a more poetic way, as if the world was more complete when intricately described.
If you are a writer, this is one of the top 10 books you should read in your lifetime. The writing style teaches you more than a book on writing ever could. "Something Familiar" awakens a new beauty in the everyday existence and contains the essence writers seek for and few ever find. Kat Ricker has captured a magical connection between souls within a world of words.
~The Rebecca Review
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