Editorial Reviews
“Cemetery Reflections is a testament to the enduring power of remembrance and reflection. Jane Hopkins’ exquisite blend of photography, poetry, and personal narrative creates a work that is both visually stunning and emotionally resonant. It is a book to be savored and cherished—a timeless reminder of the beauty and fragility of life.”—Review by Dr. Elise M. Ciregna in the AGS Quarterly Volune 47 No. 3, Fall 2023 (Association of Gravestone Studies),.
“This striking collection of cemetery photography sheds light on the American way of memorialization”—Booklife Review
“Cemetery Reflections is eloquent as it meditates on the evolution of death, grief, and memorialization in the United States.”—Jeana Jorgensen, Clarion Reviews
“Hopkins tells the story of life, death, and memories through beautiful cemetery art photography….A sumptuous, nostalgic ode to a North American tradition.” —Bookview Review
Hopkins’ photographs in Cemetery Reflections provide especially strong visual poetry, revealing and emphasizing in their composition a distinctive solace manifest in cemeteries because of their often-bucolic surroundings….The imagery in Jane Hopkins’ Cemetery Reflections, thoughtfully supplemented with text and quotations, is a gentle memento mori in book form made especially poignant by its release during the COVID-19 era. –Ellen Graham, IndieReader
“A healing balm for troubling times, Cemetery Reflections by Jane Hopkins is a thoughtful gathering of wisdom and compassion, offered through a sensitive portrait of final resting places.”—Self Publishing Review
“A beautiful collection of photography displaying the extraordinary structures, intricate carvings, and colorful foliage that bring life to the cemeteries where our loved ones lie to rest....With gorgeous poems to accompany the photos and short personal stories of grief, readers will find themselves at peace while reading and taking in the scenery.” — Kristi Elizabeth, San Francisco Book Review
“Readers interested in the psychology of grief, the literary expression of loss, and the reflections of graveyards as places that both inspire and give pause for thought will find these images and written words capture the longstanding traditions of death, burial, and mourning in America.”—D. Donovan, Senior Editor, Midwest Book Review
“Put this book on the coffee table, but pick it up now and then to remember that life is short, and we need to live it to the fullest.”—Phillip van Heusen, —Readers’ Favorite, 5 stars
“Beautifully produced, reflective and very sensitive meditation on cemeteries and the visual culture of remembrance.”—Robert Tittler, PhD, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Concordia University, Montreal
“Every picture in this book was a story in itself: emotions etched in stone, poetry in the curve of a line, in the back of a statue bent in mourning, in the closed eyes of a cherub that stood over the grave of a child….The photos leap off the pages and force its audience to feel and reflect.”—Book Review Directory
“Jane Hopkins helps readers accept that death is inevitable and nothing to be afraid of. She conveys her own hope to be able to greet it like an old friend, a thing welcome after a life lived well. This inspires readers to strive to feel the same.”—Manik Chaturmutha, Independent Book Review
Readers are Saying
“A gentle view of death”
“Brings tears of understanding”
“Jane shows us that cemeteries can be a place of solace”
“Your book is so profound and beautiful! On every page I think of someone who will want to read “Cemetery Reflections.”
“Those of us who have lost loved ones will recognize the sympathy and understanding in every page of your book.”
“Jane’s beautiful photographs and accompanying words remind us how inextricably linked we are to one another, to family, to our cultural history, to the impermanence of birth and death, and to the embrace of the natural world.”