Official Review: From Pavillion to Parkinson's by Mandy Hoy

Anon_Reviewer · Post by **Anon_Reviewer** » 27 Jun 2019, 09:04

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "From Pavillion to Parkinson's" by Mandy Hoy.]

3 out of 4 stars

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From Pavillion to Parkinson’s is an anthology of poems by Mandy Hoy. Through poetry, Hoy illustrates her journey from an abusive childhood until she is diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s. The poems are grouped according to the different stages of her life. She prefaces each sub-collection of poems with a short description. She also includes pictures of herself and her family throughout.

As I read the anthology, I was reminded of Ernest Hemingway’s words:

'There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.'

Hoy packed enough pain and anguish into her poems to make one run out of tears. It was as though her bleeding heart wrote the words itself. In one poem, she writes about her younger brother, and how he would sometimes take hits for her from their father. She also writes tenderly about her mother, whose life was claimed by the same disease Hoy is now forced to face.

However, the anthology is not only negative. Mandy Hoy also writes about how she and her brother escaped from their abusive home to forge lives of their own. There is a poem dedicated to each of her children, as well as grandchildren. These poems truly capture that Hoy's children are her pride, joy, and source of hope. She also writes about her love life and career.

The common themes that tie the poems together are those of courage and determination. The anthology is nothing short of inspirational. More than once, I found myself close to tears. I was especially touched by poems about her battle with Parkinson’s. A close loved one of mine is also battling a chronic disease. I believe she, and others in a similar situation, would gain a lot by reading about Hoy’s experience.

One poem, A Coping Cake, moved me deeply. I want to print it out, frame it, and hang it up in my room. It will act as a reminder of what I need to get through the day. Just to give you a taste, the first stanza goes like this:

A teaspoon full of knowledge
And a tablespoon of hope
A cup or two of bravery
All go together to help you cope

I liked how Hoy poured herself out into this work. The poems are written in simple language and are easy to follow. In most of them, Hoy employs essential poetry tools like rhyme and meter. She also uses figures of speech such as metaphors and personification. Other poems read a little like prose, just in stanza form.

The only unfortunate aspect of this book is the editing that fell short. The anthology has many errors in the form of misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and run-on sentences. For this reason, I rate From Pavillion to Parkinson’s 3 out of 4 stars. If it were not for the errors, I would gladly give it a perfect score.

Hoy discusses instances of abuse and violence explicitly in the book. As such, I wouldn’t recommend it to sensitive readers. Otherwise, if you are looking for something inspirational to get you through tough times, this is the book for you.

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From Pavillion to Parkinson's
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