Official Review: Beyond The Thorned Holly by Gregory Cenac

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Official Review: Beyond The Thorned Holly by Gregory Cenac

Post by bookowlie »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beyond The Thorned Holly" by Gregory Cenac.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Beyond the Thorned Holly by Gregory Cenac is an eclectic poetry collection that includes observations and reminiscences of places and people that touched the author in some way. The poems were written over the past five years or so. In addition to the poetry, there is a fable about a bear and a few short essays.

The poems are written in free verse and have an easy, rhythmic style. I found the author’s writing to be sophisticated yet accessible. The word choices are spot on and give the book that extra spark that makes it special. At its best, poetry should convey emotions, clear imagery, or a mix of both. The author has managed to present these elements well.

There is an underlying theme of Southern racism in a few of the poems, but it is written through the lens of the author’s personal observations of members of his family and others. The characters are realistically written and their attitudes are revealed to the reader in subtle ways.

It’s hard to pick a favorite in this diverse collection, but there are some standouts. In the very relatable “The Paseo,” the author reminisces about sights he has seen in different places, but is glad to be back in his beloved Missouri. The emotions leap off the page and the imagery is so clear that I felt like I was in each place he described. “Rene” is a haunting tribute to what appears to be the author’s flawed, racist grandfather. I also enjoyed the effective refrain, “did I mention that I am tall and that I have blue eyes,” in “The Narcissist” as a man struggles to understand why “she” left him.

While I loved most of the poems, there are a few that I found a bit obscure and I missed the point. I felt that there was some inside meaning that was personal to the author, but that the reader wasn’t let in on. These pieces were well written, but it was as if I had been given a peek into someone’s diary where I didn’t fully understand the context.

There are several errors sprinkled throughout the book. In five instances, I noticed a space between a word and the comma that follows. There are also a few spelling errors/typos (“wel l” instead of “well”, “teaclhing” instead of “teaching”, “iadioFound” instead of ???), an extra space between words, a period on the next line, and inconsistent line breaks. In a few instances, there are a couple of blank pages between poems; in one case, I initially thought the book was finished since I flipped at least four pages until I got to the next poem.

I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The errors prevent me from awarding the highest rating. Still, this collection is unique and thought-provoking, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys poems with perceptive observations and beautiful imagery.

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Beyond The Thorned Holly
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Post by gali »

It sounds like a great collection for fans of the genre. Poems aren't my cup of tea, but I am glad you enjoyed the book, errors and all. Thank you for the great review!
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Post by kandscreeley »

It's too bad about the errors. Still, it sounds like a nice collection of poetry if you can overlook those. I probably should try some poetry again as I don't read much any more. Thanks for a wonderful review.
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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks Gali and Kandscreely for the nice feedback. This is one of those collections where I want to read some of the poems again since they moved me so much.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Bookowlie- That's pretty high praise. I figure if they move you to want to read them again, I should probably check it out.
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Post by bookowlie »

kandscreeley wrote:Bookowlie- That's pretty high praise. I figure if they move you to want to read them again, I should probably check it out.
The other thing is that many of the poems had layers of meaning. I could see understanding the poems more completely if I read them again.
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Post by geoffrey ngoima »

As a(n amateur poet) I get what you're saying about poems, though I don;t like short stories, I'd rather read a long one rather than short ones even if they were two. Great review
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Post by MarisaRose »

When it comes to poetry, errors and poor formatting can really distract from the flow of the prose. I'm glad there were a lot of positive atteibutes in this collection, but it sounds like it needs to be polished before it's ready for a wide audience. Thanks for the insight!
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Post by Zelinda »

Bookowlie, I like your review. I don't usually read poetry, but it sounds like you were impressed with it and your clear writing makes me think it is probably well-written also. As soon as I'm ready to take a break from my usual genres of reading, I shall give this one a read.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I don't ever expect to like every poem in a book of poetry. It is nice to find one that has several enjoyable ones. I do find that grammar mistakes are more distracting in poetry.
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Post by Olainfinitee »

I love the poem they are really good for heart, I will love to read more of it
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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks everyone for your comments. CatintheHat - I agree that grammatical errors are more noticeable in poetry, especially short pieces. This is a relatively long collection (over 100 pages) so it's not like there are errors on every other page. Still, the mistakes were a little annoying. MarisaRose - It's true that formatting as well as grammar mistakes can take away from a smooth flow. Geoffrey -the short stories are more like a 1 1/2 page essay rather than a 10-page story - basically they were a quick read.
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Post by RegularGuy3 »

I don't read much poetry but this caught my eye initially because the book was sideways. Funny how something so small can change our behaviors. Thanks for the review--I might step outside my comfort zone for this one.
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Post by bookowlie »

RegularGuy3 wrote:I don't read much poetry but this caught my eye initially because the book was sideways. Funny how something so small can change our behaviors. Thanks for the review--I might step outside my comfort zone for this one.
I assume this is just a system glitch when the cover was uploaded on this site. The cover is right side up on Amazon.
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Post by KeriCraven »

Sounds like the poems would be great for people who enjoy reading that genre. I particularly have to be in the mood for poems. I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your review.
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