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akaakp.bsky.social · @akaakp.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated M Train 6/10

I came to M Train not as a Patti Smith fan, but as a Rockaway Beach resident who is somewhat fascinated by the stories of people who have "discovered" Rockaway in recent years. Smith's journey to Rockaway kind of surprised me--she's sort of the quintessential New Yorker so it seemed strange that she hadn't happened upon the vestigial tail of Queens sooner. <br/><br/>I found myself liking the book more than I expected to. I know Smith is a poet, and I'm not someone who reads poets, so I was prepared to feel a bit eye-rolly when approaching this stream-of-conscious little journey. But I found her voice clean and authentic, and while at times it wandered off into territory that I couldn't quite feel invested in, there were moments when raw emotion--often the the still-acute grief over losing her husband--would quietly assert its presence, and it left me breathless. <br/><br/>Meanwhile, I also found her obsession with detective dramas to be a delightful surprise. <br/><br/>Anyway, a pretty quick read and nice glimpse into the mindset of a female artist of a certain age, still finding herself and her city in unexpected places. <br/><br/>

#book

Published 2026-01-07 12:14 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere