The Carrying

I was ambushed by her power to move - several poems brought a lump to my throat. She never hides behind words but reveals herself through them . . . It describes an effortful time that makes these apparently effortless, quick-release poems all the more merciful and beautiful. There is nothing self-indulgent here but there is humorous self-assertion . . . Part of the pleasure of reading Limon is the way she transports you to a Kentucky punctuated by the noise of trains, the presence of horses, the planting of seeds. This is as-the-crow files poetry - it goes straight to the heart. * The Guardian *
Exquisite poems about love, fertility, desire, this natural world we move through, the political climate, so much more -- Roxane Gay
In her dazzling, precise, transformative collection, The Carrying, Ada Limon offers us meditations on mortality, womanhood, the body, and that which grows in the earth, all the while slyly positing: How should we treat each other in this precarious life? Like humans, is her answer. Like humans -- Jami Attenberg
In these poems, joy and longing and grief sing with a music that- regardless of what I am burdened or blessed to carry - makes me want to live passionately and fully in the difficult world. The Carrying is a gift -- Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former US Poet Laureate
I am thankful for this collection, for its wisdom and generosity, for its insistence on holding tight to beauty even as we face disintegration and destruction -- Celeste Ng, on Bright Dead Things
Ada Limón is a poet of ecstatic revelation. Her poetry feels fast, full of detail, often playful, and driven by a conversational voice. This book represents a powerful deepening of the poet's perspective into themes of loss, chronic pain, fear of the 21st century's ongoing devastations, concern for the natural world. It's a book of deep wisdom and urgent vulnerability, driven by language that feels not only beautiful but permanent and powerfully wrought, like a mountain. It leads you to the beautiful bright mountaintop of language, then guides you gently down into the rocky valleys of a conscious human heart -- Tracy K. Smith * Guardian *
One of the best books of the year * The Millions *
[Ada Limon's] new collection is her best yet, a much needed shot if not of hope, then perseverance amid much uncertainty * NPR *
Her poems masterfully weave those quiet moments of grief and strength with expansive questions about life and womanhood. It's a privilege to witness her work * LitHub *