"Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass" Hardcover Poetry Book - Post-Release Discussion Thread

[Blue Ink 5,906]

I work at a book store part time. We have a shelf with all the books that our costumers order and today we had a copy of Violet in that shelf. Made me pretty happy ngl

[Lustrouslines 5,202]

On 10/9/2020 at 7:12 AM, vodkaa said:

I just finished the book. and. I wish there was more? I wish there was more.. does anyone wanna discuss it further? 

I would love to discuss! This book was amazing in every aspect. The photos, the writing, the placement of poems, the space at the end to write our own poetry... she really outdid herself. My favorite was Thanks to the Locals, it really got me emotionally and her vulnerability was captivating. This book is very special. I also like to add that she said my name in the poem In the Flats of Melrose!

[Make me your Dream Life 87,778]

2 hours ago, Lustrouslines said:

I would love to discuss! This book was amazing in every aspect. The photos, the writing, the placement of poems, the space at the end to write our own poetry... she really outdid herself. My favorite was Thanks to the Locals, it really got me emotionally and her vulnerability was captivating. This book is very special. I also like to add that she said my name in the poem In the Flats of Melrose!

yay! I love that name! It was in another book I was reading waay back. the sound of it's so calming and just cool hahahahaha. I'll be honest I haven't really paid much attention to the photos as much in regards to the poems on the other pages and what it might mean yet, but they were so nice to accompany them. I especially liked the galaxy(?) ones the first one when you open the cover and I think there was another one in there. 

That and ...Melrose were so beautiful. 

I think my personal favorites are Happy, Land of 1000 Fires, Sportscruiser, Never to Heaven, ...Bedroom, Paradise is very fragile, in the hills of Benedict Canyon. 

i'll be honest pas the bushes, I think I know what it means to say, but at the same time, it gets me a confused in a way, not sure. 
Melrose. that's a really great one, and I like that one too. Thanks to the Locals, ngl I like it, but at the same time I refrain reading it too much bc well, it just gets me thinking sad and ah ya probably know how it goes hahahahaha

and mm what did u mean by placement, like, order, or the actual words? bc I thought it was interesting too how she typed things in a certain way, and the word placement made the poems flow easier imo.. I loved most of her stuff, but some lines reminded me of some of her songs, or some of her colloquialisms made me think a little too ngl

and I think that was really thoughtful for her to do, it's really cool to have something of ours as fans to be put in the same book as hers. not really sure what to do for it though, but regardless, a really cute gesture. 
 

I think my favorite as of now, or more so at the moment's LA and Happy. It's just hard to choose which is the one favorite ya know? they're all so good for different reasons. or like, the audiobook? I think the dreamiest one is Quiet Blue Waiter, that was so good to listen to, so lulling.

[Chestnut Fox Sexy Jesus 3,026]

On 10/9/2020 at 2:12 PM, vodkaa said:

I just finished the book. and. I wish there was more? I wish there was more.. does anyone wanna discuss it further? 

Yep I'd like to discuss the poems. I have actually just received the book.

Among the poems that are not on the audio version, I really enjoyed 'In the hills of Benedict Canyon'. For some reason it's given me big Lynch vibes in the way that it all feels like everything is stuck at 7:27 and she's in some sort of limbo where she's thinking about things and there's this guy talking nonsense and the night time is approaching and the Starline bus is still going around like things are happening around her but it all feels like a dream? - I don't know if that was intentional or she was just trying to kinda take a snapshot of the moment and it ended up being this eerie depiction in a way - I don't know , that was my impression anyway and I really love it. 

I also liked Haiku n.2 , which combined with the picture on the next page again gave me this feeling of stillness but also impending doom (she was probably just sitting in her car with her bf and stuck in traffic *the river of red being the tail lights of the other cars* but the shortness of the poem and the deserted road in the picture makes it kinda uncomfortable)

Haiku n.5 (it's a beautiful and sad thought)

Haiku n.10 , which - if you read it without looking at the picture on the next page - makes for quite a grim and lonely thought. But the picture makes it a little less dark and maybe just quiet and lonely. 

 

Starfish is also very cute but the texting and emoji parts are a little cringy.

[Make me your Dream Life 87,778]

1 hour ago, Chestnut Fox Sexy Jesus said:

Yep I'd like to discuss the poems. I have actually just received the book.

Among the poems that are not on the audio version, I really enjoyed 'In the hills of Benedict Canyon'. For some reason it's given me big Lynch vibes in the way that it all feels like everything is stuck at 7:27 and she's in some sort of limbo where she's thinking about things and there's this guy talking nonsense and the night time is approaching and the Starline bus is still going around like things are happening around her but it all feels like a dream? - I don't know if that was intentional or she was just trying to kinda take a snapshot of the moment and it ended up being this eerie depiction in a way - I don't know , that was my impression anyway and I really love it. 

I also liked Haiku n.2 , which combined with the picture on the next page again gave me this feeling of stillness but also impending doom (she was probably just sitting in her car with her bf and stuck in traffic *the river of red being the tail lights of the other cars* but the shortness of the poem and the deserted road in the picture makes it kinda uncomfortable)

Haiku n.5 (it's a beautiful and sad thought)

Haiku n.10 , which - if you read it without looking at the picture on the next page - makes for quite a grim and lonely thought. But the picture makes it a little less dark and maybe just quiet and lonely. 

 

Starfish is also very cute but the texting and emoji parts are a little cringy.

have u finished it yet? i'll admit I got my copy the day after bc I pre-ordered it but tried pacing myself bc of the album. I totally get what you mean by that, there's this strangeness that it brings when ur reading, and the imagery sorta just paints that for you imo. it feels like she describes it as an out of body experience w how she repeats the time. I feel like when I read her poetry there's always a sense of like HM album-ness to it. I didn't really appreciate ringtone as much, and even if Sugarfish was kinda a vibe, it wasn't the strongest I have to agree w some of those moments. 

I haven't heard the audio book as much, only went thru it once, and it sorta deflated 1000 Fires a bit for me so I'm just taking it easy with that, bc surprisingly enough I kinda just like reading it w my own inner voice interpretation. it might be a bit harder to hear, but I think her reciting one of the poems came a bit stiff, even if the music tried making up for it.. I forget which one atm.. 

I personally liked 2,4, and 5. 
2 with the highway image, and imagery, and just how personally I love driving out to places, and how the different parts of day just brings out a new experience. 
4 because of how renewing it is, even if it sounds a bit tinged w despair. 
5 is a very sad truth, I think w comedians is that they're just a lot more jovial w their observations. there's always that tie yeah.. 

maybe not at much, it's growing on me, but I loved the grapefruit poem. it's simple enough, but I just love the fruit imagery, and how sugar can mean something else too. 

the last haiku, I can understand how you'd say that. especially w her relationship to fame, it's very much a cold one, and I think how that loneliness can just feel so long lasting, just makes it even sadder. it's abrupt too, w how it's short. 

I'm gonna have to get back to ya on the little cringe parts, bc as much as I genuinely enjoyed most of the poems, there were just some questionable parts, and yeah the watermelon too, agree definitely hahahahahahahaha. 

[Chestnut Fox Sexy Jesus 3,026]

7 hours ago, vodkaa said:

have u finished it yet? i'll admit I got my copy the day after bc I pre-ordered it but tried pacing myself bc of the album. I totally get what you mean by that, there's this strangeness that it brings when ur reading, and the imagery sorta just paints that for you imo. it feels like she describes it as an out of body experience w how she repeats the time. I feel like when I read her poetry there's always a sense of like HM album-ness to it. I didn't really appreciate ringtone as much, and even if Sugarfish was kinda a vibe, it wasn't the strongest I have to agree w some of those moments. 

I haven't heard the audio book as much, only went thru it once, and it sorta deflated 1000 Fires a bit for me so I'm just taking it easy with that, bc surprisingly enough I kinda just like reading it w my own inner voice interpretation. it might be a bit harder to hear, but I think her reciting one of the poems came a bit stiff, even if the music tried making up for it.. I forget which one atm.. 

I personally liked 2,4, and 5. 
2 with the highway image, and imagery, and just how personally I love driving out to places, and how the different parts of day just brings out a new experience. 
4 because of how renewing it is, even if it sounds a bit tinged w despair. 
5 is a very sad truth, I think w comedians is that they're just a lot more jovial w their observations. there's always that tie yeah.. 

maybe not at much, it's growing on me, but I loved the grapefruit poem. it's simple enough, but I just love the fruit imagery, and how sugar can mean something else too. 

the last haiku, I can understand how you'd say that. especially w her relationship to fame, it's very much a cold one, and I think how that loneliness can just feel so long lasting, just makes it even sadder. it's abrupt too, w how it's short. 

I'm gonna have to get back to ya on the little cringe parts, bc as much as I genuinely enjoyed most of the poems, there were just some questionable parts, and yeah the watermelon too, agree definitely hahahahahahahaha. 

Yes I have finished it. But I haven't read the poems from the audio book on their own, without the background music. I'll do that and see if they read/feel different.

I did listen to the audio book a lot. For me it just helps with the overall mood and  it makes some cringeworthy moments more bearable ("you don't understand me - I'm a real poem" type of shit brrr) 

[Make me your Dream Life 87,778]

11 hours ago, Chestnut Fox Sexy Jesus said:

Yes I have finished it. But I haven't read the poems from the audio book on their own, without the background music. I'll do that and see if they read/feel different.

I did listen to the audio book a lot. For me it just helps with the overall mood and  it makes some cringeworthy moments more bearable ("you don't understand me - I'm a real poem" type of shit brrr) 

no I get ya hahahahahahaha. there are some of those moments but yeah the audio helps a lot. alrite cool good luck good luck 

[Rust Dress 40,200]

I’m not sure where to post this but there’s a new giveaway for a signed exclusive vinyl.

 

Here’s the link, only open to US residents 

 

https://shoplanadelrey.com/pages/violetsweeps

[Lustformoney 41,443]

i FINALLY got my copy. why did she pick that book cover? it doesnt match the poetry nor the photos inside, not a one bit. wish it would be just black leather with golden lettering or at least some LA related photo/painting

[HoneyViolence 1,063]

3 minutes ago, Lustformoney said:

i FINALLY got my copy. why did she pick that book cover? it doesnt match the poetry nor the photos inside, not a one bit. wish it would be just black leather with golden lettering or at least some LA related photo/painting

It’s perfect. 

[IanadeIrey 62,017]

11 minutes ago, Lustformoney said:

i FINALLY got my copy. why did she pick that book cover? it doesnt match the poetry nor the photos inside, not a one bit. wish it would be just black leather with golden lettering or at least some LA related photo/painting

I think she picked oranges because in Paradise is Very Fragile she has a line about serpents on water colour paintings of orange trees - to me it symbolizes the ripeness of life and how it can be easily taken away, hence, the biblical reference with the snake. I think that fits really well with the poems tbh, as they all kind of are meditations on her life and how she’s working through family-of-origin and romantic trauma. I think it’s perfect! <3

[Nobody 21,511]

we love a nominated author

 

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-poetry-books-2020

[Hannus 1,618]

one of my friends who isn't a Lana stan has bought the book, and i can't wait to hear her opinion about it. i'm really interested to hear what her poems mean to someone who doesn't know that much about her and doesn't get the references.

[Rico25 7,889]

I haven't bought the physical book yet, I need to ASAP 

[Dyl 964]

You guys I just found Ms. Violent Bent Backwards over the shelf in TJ Maxx tonight

is the book not selling? They had it for $16.99 

[Lustformoney 41,443]

Fun fact, its gonna be translated into polish. I think im gonna buy it just out of curiosity

[LanzDelRey 528]

I've been waiting for a month for the book. But It's was finally arrived 2 days ago. I bought it from Book Depository

and I just found out that there so many words and sentences in some poems that she didn't include in the audio version.

[singintheblues 935]

So its gonna be released translated in Spanish i didn expected that im so excited. But i dont understand the title in Spanish. It says 'Violet hace el puente sobre la hierba' that is something like '

Violet makes the bridge on the grass. So it has a completly different meaning? 

[lamms 11,605]

21 minutes ago, singintheblues said:

So its gonna be released translated in Spanish i didn expected that im so excited. But i dont understand the title in Spanish. It says 'Violet hace el puente sobre la hierba' that is something like '

Violet makes the bridge on the grass. So it has a completly different meaning? 

No, still the same meaning. A bridge or bent backwards is this pose:

[singintheblues 935]

21 minutes ago, lamms said:

No, still the same meaning. A bridge or bent backwards is this pose:

Thanks, it's true. Even though I have the book, I have been wrong all this time. 
In my mind the title meant that there was a plant (violet) bent back, not a girl doing the bridge. 
My life has changed