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Womansong: Balance & Harmony in a Feminine Key

Gwen Suesse
Sea-hill Press (2010)
ISBN 9780615331041
Reviewed by Kam Aures for Rebeccasreads.com (04/10)


“A prelude is a musical piece designed to introduce, to set a mood.  In these pages, I invite you to break into the pandemonium of contemporary life and take a thoughtful detour through the imagery of music.  Music, immeasurable, ineffable, can lead you to discoveries that lie within you, waiting to be noticed.  Let us pause and deliberately suspend our everyday exigencies.  Let us transport ourselves to a realm of images that is conducive to introspection and reflection.” (p.3) These words are taken from the “Prelude,” or introduction, of Gwen Suesse’s book, “Womansong- Balance & Harmony in a Feminine Key.”

By Suesse’s own description, her work “reflects on the stages, circumstances, and conundrums of being a woman” (p.3) She presents us with her personal journey through womanhood through a series of essays and reflections designed for women of all ages to read.  The approach that Suesse has taken to writing “Womansong” is a very creative one.  I really enjoyed the music theme running throughout the book and was impressed with how well she was able to seamlessly tie this into the subject of being a woman.  The book is divided up into different sections named such musical terms as:  Prelude, Conductor, Interlude, Leitmotifs, and Incalzando.  Within each section are various essays relating to the section name.    

“Womansong” is very intelligently written and the author has a remarkable vocabulary.  She mentions early in the book that she was taught from very young to appreciate words and that her family always had a dictionary within reach.  This definitely shows in her writing.  I found myself reaching for a dictionary often when I was reading as I came across quite a few words that were new to me.  

I found Suesse’s book to be very calming and soothing.  The layout and design of the book was well thought out and visually appealing.  Her writing, interspersed with quotations and beautiful art and calligraphy, made for a wonderful read that I recommend to women of any age.  As “Womansong- Balance & Harmony in a Feminine Key” is meant to promote discussion, it would be a solid choice for any women’s book club.