Christine Bode has written her heart down.

For lack of better words…most likely I am not grammatically perfect and my Grade 8 English teacher (god bless her) would be in tears…but since I am a songwriter…if I were to write a song about my friend, then I would write that in the lyrics to describe her.

Her passionate words are written on pages in black ink and are spread like a broken pearl necklace scattered across the pages - the emotions and thoughts of days and moments made of the stuff of pearls…over time, through pain creating beauty.

As I was reading each poem in Eden Refugee I felt oddly like a voyeur peeking through a window…into Christine’s life. Some of the poems deal with subject matter that is heart rending. I was quite simply in awe and amazement at her courage to put her life under the glaring light of scrutiny.

Every woman or man hides secrets and guards them carefully. We all have experienced rejection, hurt, sadness, madness…then the other side of the coin, joy, rapture, love, lust… We wear masks. We all do. Christine removes her mask…with an honest, raw passion to show the true face underneath. She’s not afraid to take the risk.

Christine Bode has the potential to continue to grow with her obvious talent in writing poems. I for one look forward to reading more of them. It would be a wise investment to add this book Eden Refugee to your personal reading list and as well you’ll be supporting a new and upcoming emerging Canadian literary talent!

Review by Christine Donovan /singer/songwriter
- Kingston, ON

Christine Bode bears her soul in her first book of poetry Eden Refugee. The entries are true confessions of her life and thoughts. She lays it all out there for all to see - very brave indeed. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, Christine's poems are not for the weak and sometimes are very bleak. Dark entries followed by glimmers of hope and light. She covers all of her fears, joys, bliss, despair.
Pissed off with life, she fills her empty pages with everything that she feels - a notion not easily done.
Cheers to Christine on her first book. I look forward to many others in the future.

Susan Slaney
Toronto, ON

Eden Refugee (2007) by Christine Bode is a unique book of masterfully written poetry that appears to be someone's biography. This journey includes love, romance, friendship and sometimes the bitter pills in life that we all
must swallow from time to time. Sid's Song, Crickets in the Distance and Peyman The Persian are just a few of many wonderful passages that Christine explores in a deep and sensual manner. Every page is a unique story. The
human condition is a beautiful thing whether our lives hang by a thread of previously enjoyed dental floss or feet planted firmly into a pair of our favourite shoes. Eden Refugee makes for excellent coffee table reading or
enjoyed while snuggled in bed with a hot cup of cocoa. One thing I get out of reading Eden Refugee is a deep look into myself as if the book is peeking into my soul, pulling away the layers, with Christine there to guide me along the way. I highly recommend Eden Refugee to anyone who wants to pickup no-nonsense book of poetry that gives you something to think about.

Chris White,
Kingston, ON, Canada

“Open. Brave. Honest. Moving. Insightful. Intuitive. Emotive. Eden Refugee has all the qualities I look for when it comes to poetry”

Cormac O Caoimh,
Cork, Ireland

The 1980's poems - very emotionally open and we care for the person who is writing them, her vulnerability and emotional openness. Keep it up. It'll never get easy, but it usually gets better. I admire your courage.

Patrick Watson

Individual poem reviews by Patrick Watson:
My God! - good joke
Escape, Celibate, Le Reign Vincent - very strong
Love's Apocalypse - strong!
I Mistook - You've got a good rock song
The Price You Pay, I Wanna Be A Muse D - Good
Crickets in the Distance - Nice, good lyrics for a song
Love Scorned - good song because you've opened with one proverb and closed with another, it feels complete, rounded.
I Still Wonder Why - good song - wants a country & western setting.
Icicles in the Sun - Pretty good stuff!
Sid's Song - I think you could submit this to a magazine.
April Fool's Day - This is a moving piece, with a strong sense of authenticity.
Monday Afternoon Musings - This is terrific!
Peyman The Persian - Outstanding!
No Bone Today - Lovely
A Scathing Tirade - Nice work
Rainbow of Genres - Good fun