All the Flowers Kneeling

by Paul Tran
All the Flowers Kneeling cover
Good Books rating 4.56
Poetry
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  • ID: 1607
  • Added: 2025-10-08
  • Updated: 2025-10-19
  • ISBN: 9781802060089
  • Publisher: Penguin UK
  • Published: 2022-05-05
  • Formats: 4
  • Reviews: 4

All the Flowers Kneeling is a breathtaking debut poetry collection by Paul Tran that delves into themes of survival, love, and the transformation of identity. The poems reach back into personal and historical traumas, using innovative forms to mirror the nonlinear experiences of trauma survivors. Tran's work is both confessional and defiant, celebrating resilience and the power of storytelling as a means of survival. This collection is a testament to queer self-love and the human capacity for endurance. It probes systems of knowledge-making and the power of storytelling, offering a vivid and searingly honest depiction of survival and self-love. The poems are rich and resonant, exploring desire, freedom, control, and rebirth, making this a vital and visceral read.

Reviews
The Storygraph · Anonymous · 2025-10-08
loved 5.00

The reviewer absolutely loved the collection, praising Tran's mastery of language and form, and the expert use of line breaks and wordplay.

An anonymous reviewer from The Storygraph expresses their love for Paul Tran's collection, highlighting the expert use of language and form. They appreciate the way Tran plays with line breaks and wordplay, creating a rich and engaging reading experience. The reviewer finds the collection to be both visceral and astonishing, noting how it charts the rebuilding of a self in the wake of extremity. They also mention the collection's ability to reclaim and subvert language for a new decolonized poetics.

Quick quotes

    I absolutely loved this collection!! The way Tran played with language and form - expertly placed line breaks, breaking apart words, words with multiple meanings - was just incredible.

    The collection is visceral and astonishing, charting the rebuilding of a self in the wake of extremity.

    Tran's use of language is both powerful and innovative, creating a unique and engaging reading experience.

The Guardian · Claire Lowdon · 2022-06-07
powerful 4.50

The reviewer praises the collection for its raw honesty and poetic form, while acknowledging the heavy themes of sexual abuse and imperial violence. They appreciate Tran's ability to confront pain through poetry.

Claire Lowdon from The Guardian highlights the profound impact of Paul Tran's collection, noting its unflinching exploration of sexual abuse and the aftermath of imperial violence. The reviewer admires Tran's poetic technique, which transforms personal trauma into a powerful artistic expression. Lowdon finds the collection both confronting and beautifully crafted, appreciating how Tran uses poetic form to navigate complex emotions. They also note that the collection is not overly confessional, allowing the poetry to speak for itself.

Quick quotes

    A story of sexual abuse is unfolding – Tran was raped in their first year at college – and this is a complicated, nonspecific confessional that avoids easy sentimentality.

    Tran's poems are a testament to the power of poetry to confront and transform pain.

    The collection is a remarkable achievement, blending raw honesty with poetic brilliance.

Goodreads · 2022-02-15
brilliant 4.00

The collection is brilliant in parts and more than just a set of poems, though some pieces may feel thin. It's a powerful exploration of identity and trauma.

This reviewer found the collection to be brilliant in places, appreciating the depth and complexity of the work. They noted that the book is more than just a collection of poems; it's a cohesive exploration of identity and trauma. However, they felt that some poems might lack the same impact as others, making the overall experience a bit uneven. The reviewer highlighted the emotional resonance and the skillful use of language, which makes the collection stand out.

Quick quotes

    Paul Tran's book is brilliant in places, and there's a lot going on here in the book as a book, not just a collection of poems.

    Some poems may feel thin, but the overall collection is powerful.

    The emotional resonance and skillful use of language make this a standout collection.

Poetry Foundation · Devon Walker Figueroa · 2022-02-08
brilliant 4.75

The reviewer highlights Tran's skill in evoking the layers of selfhood and the intricate ways in which they intersect, comparing it to pentimento or palimpsest.

Devon Walker Figueroa from the Poetry Foundation praises Paul Tran's ability to evoke the complex layers of selfhood in their poetry. Figueroa compares Tran's work to pentimento or palimpsest, noting how the strata of selfhood illuminate one another. They appreciate the depth and intricacy of Tran's exploration of identity and trauma, finding the collection to be a brilliant meditation on the human experience. Figueroa also notes the technical skill and innovation in Tran's use of language and form.

Quick quotes

    Tran is brilliant at evoking the ways in which the strata of selfhood illuminate one another even when, like pentimento or palimpsest, they are obscured or layered over.

    The collection is a riveting example of how poetry can capture the complexities of identity and trauma.

    Tran's use of language and form is both innovative and deeply moving.

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