37 review for The Long Road Home: Poetry, Prose, and Personal Essays

1. 

   4 out of 5

   Larry H – Feb 23, 2021

   4.5 stars. Braden Hofeling's The Long Road Home is a beautifully written and heartfelt collection of poems, prose, and personal essays. So, what’s your feeling on poetry? Do you read any? Do you read it occasionally or are you a big fan? Is it a genre that you know you’d like to read more of but there never seems to be enough time? I definitely fall into that latter category. When i read poetry I often marvel at how much it touches and/or moves me, but it’s not a genre I gravitate toward freque 4.5 stars. Braden Hofeling's The Long Road Home is a beautifully written and heartfelt collection of poems, prose, and personal essays. So, what’s your feeling on poetry? Do you read any? Do you read it occasionally or are you a big fan? Is it a genre that you know you’d like to read more of but there never seems to be enough time? I definitely fall into that latter category. When i read poetry I often marvel at how much it touches and/or moves me, but it’s not a genre I gravitate toward frequently. But when my friend Braden Hofeling asked if I’d be interested in reading his new collection, I jumped at the chance. This is a fairly short book, and many of his poems are very brief, so there are a good number of them. I can’t tell you how often I marveled at his use of language, emotion, and imagery to draw the reader in. There were so many poems that made me say, “YES!” These are poems about love, relationships, family, dreams, nature, fears—and they are punctuated with beautiful artwork from Madison Bird. There were too many poems to choose a favorite from, so here’s a brief one I really enjoyed, called “Slippery”: When I tell you I’m falling I don’t mean in love I mean I’m slipping through your fingers If you enjoy poetry or are curious about it, The Long Road Home is a beautiful collection to try. Braden Hofeling provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available! Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html. Check out my list of the best books of the last decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html. See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com. Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Arielle Bradberry – Aug 08, 2021

   I absolutely loved this book. The author is truly gifted with words. I loved how creative and descriptive the author was throughout the book. The author encompasses stories from their life and their struggles. I also love that the author included images in the book !! Great book so glad we connected.

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Laura – Feb 14, 2021

   I received this book as an ARC from Braden which I am so grateful for! I’ll be honest, my rating is reflective of my enjoyment of poetry and not at all the quality of his writing. I think I’ve realised that poetry isn’t for me. Braden has really put his heart into this collection of poems and it shows! My favourite section was Whole - “How unkind we are to look in the mirror and say my eyes are my best feature, or this light makes me look good as if the whole is less than the sum of its parts.” How I received this book as an ARC from Braden which I am so grateful for! I’ll be honest, my rating is reflective of my enjoyment of poetry and not at all the quality of his writing. I think I’ve realised that poetry isn’t for me. Braden has really put his heart into this collection of poems and it shows! My favourite section was Whole - “How unkind we are to look in the mirror and say my eyes are my best feature, or this light makes me look good as if the whole is less than the sum of its parts.” How true is that! I also liked the section Make it Better - “Life is what you make of it don’t make it worse by dreading what’s to come.” In comparison to other poetry books I’ve read, this didn’t feel like a collection of Tumblr posts...it was honest poetry which I liked. If you like poetry, give this one a go!

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Annabel Harz – Mar 07, 2022

   Thanks to Reedsy for the ARC. The Long Road Home is a pleasant country ramble through the mind. This reader found herself transported beyond the mundanity of everyday life, smiling in recognition at the experiences reflected through eloquent figurative language. In poems about love, fulfilment and childhood memories, Braden Hofeling takes the reader initially Off the Beaten Path, then to Finding the Way and finally Home. Evident from the section titles, earlier entries detail feelings of being out Thanks to Reedsy for the ARC. The Long Road Home is a pleasant country ramble through the mind. This reader found herself transported beyond the mundanity of everyday life, smiling in recognition at the experiences reflected through eloquent figurative language. In poems about love, fulfilment and childhood memories, Braden Hofeling takes the reader initially Off the Beaten Path, then to Finding the Way and finally Home. Evident from the section titles, earlier entries detail feelings of being out-of-place and searching for peace and happiness, while later poems demonstrate that Hofeling has, indeed, come home — which “isn’t a place, it’s a journey” — and is comfortable in his own skin. The book contains ink drawings utilising block colours over black outlines. Though not always clearly connected to one poem over others, the images are an attractive inclusion which break up the text. The beauty of poetry is the ability to take each poem as a whole, paying special attention to the beginning and ending lines which customarily hold the most impact. This is difficult with Hofeling’s book due to the layout: the text scrolls continuously, often leaving titles at the bottom of a page, with the bulk of the poem on the next page. At a glance it is less certain where each poem ends, so the impact of Hofeling’s powerful last lines is decreased. Closer editing to remove inconsistencies with punctuation would benefit the book. Punctuation guides the reader in pacing and pausing — especially important in free-form poetry — so inconsistency diminishes the reading experience. There is also no clear reason for the jarring editorial decision to include two headings directly after each other, interrupting the flow of the writing without adding to the content. Some of Hofeling’s poems are as short as two lines and some are much longer, over a page. They allude to something intangible in all of us, to “profundities deeper than an ocean / more elusive than the air I breathe”. The Long Road Home presents heartwarming poems filled with love and longing for moments to be recaptured (or indeed realised). The easily-relatable poems deal with common human experiences, universal sentiments, with beautiful expression. The author reasons that “love is the only thing known to man that multiplies as much as it gives of itself, a true sustainable resource”. Do yourself a favour and wander the country roads of your mind in this feel-good book. After all, we are all receptive to love.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Stephanie Mathis – Oct 25, 2021

   I'm a huge fan of poetry and this book draws you in emotionally though it feels a little rushed at times. You really have to pace yourself to see the whole picture. The addition of the drawings add to the overall feelings within the poems. A short read but worth it. It's very easy to relate to Braden's stories and struggles. I'm a huge fan of poetry and this book draws you in emotionally though it feels a little rushed at times. You really have to pace yourself to see the whole picture. The addition of the drawings add to the overall feelings within the poems. A short read but worth it. It's very easy to relate to Braden's stories and struggles.

6. 

   5 out of 5

   Lena – Sep 19, 2021

   received as part of a Goodread Giveaway. i think perhaps my younger self would have appreciated and enjoyed this so much more.

7. 

   5 out of 5

   TaniaRina – Feb 01, 2022

   Wise words Plucked at the strings of my soul...

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Vincent Tanner –

9. 

   4 out of 5

   Christy –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Grace –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Euge –

12. 

    5 out of 5

    Fev –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Farha –

14. 

    4 out of 5

    Hayden –

15. 

    5 out of 5

    Tiyasha Chaudhury –

16. 

    5 out of 5

    T E –

17. 

    5 out of 5

    WildcatData06 –

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Vanessa Ruiz –

19. 

    5 out of 5

    Mohamed –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Kees Kees –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    Stephanie Mathis –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Danielle Hofeling –

23. 

    5 out of 5

    Micielle –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Steve –

25. 

    5 out of 5

    Binh Nguyen –

26. 

    4 out of 5

    Johnna –

27. 

    4 out of 5

    Bismah –

28. 

    4 out of 5

    Samantha Moravec –

29. 

    4 out of 5

    Sierra Norris –

30. 

    5 out of 5

    Dana Fox –

31. 

    4 out of 5

    Steff –

32. 

    5 out of 5

    Kim Myers –

33. 

    5 out of 5

    Charissa Rate –

34. 

    5 out of 5

    Deborah Hughes –

35. 

    5 out of 5

    Pia Surgent –

36. 

    4 out of 5

    Deb –

37. 

    4 out of 5

    Jeanine Owens –