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Anaïs Quesson wrote: ↑03 Sep 2024, 01:42 [Following is a volunteer review of "Phone Calls: Love and Money" by Bela Feketekuty.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Phone Calls: Love and Money is a free-verse romance poem written by Bela Feketekuty. It tells the story of Bill and Jane, two engineers in their late twenties. She works for a drug company and makes thousands, whereas he’s self-employed and develops mobile apps. Bill struggles to make ends meet. He lives in a small apartment, while Jane owns a two-bedroom condo. They couldn’t be more different, yet they get along well together.

This poem was interesting. I did not expect the author to flesh out such realistic characters in eight pages. Yet, the reader dives straight into their relationship: how they met and their multiple trips together. Despite appearances, money doesn’t seem to be a problem for Jane. She doesn’t mind paying for more expensive and luxurious hotels that Bill can’t afford. It was enjoyable to see these gender roles reversed without any problems.
It depicts a love story as well as you could tell it in eight pages, from its beginning to its end. I did not expect the open ending. It leaves me wondering why this relationship would end like this when everything worked well between them. Is it Abby’s fault? What happened during that weekend? We will never know, and this is the beauty of this poem.
Phone Calls: Love and Money has been exceptionally well-edited. There isn't any error. Congratulations on the flawless editing work.

The only thing I disliked about this poem was the matter-of-fact tone. It is told from Bill’s point of view using a first-person narration. The author had all the keys to describe the character’s feelings. However, the narration was flat and almost emotionless, even at the end. I don’t mind the lack of descriptions: you can’t condense a full book into an eight-page poem. But emotions are key in storytelling. I wish this poem made me feel more emotions. I’m kind of disappointed.

In the end, I rate Phone Calls: Love and Money 4 out of 5 stars (80%).
I deducted a few points from my rating because of the negatives mentioned in my review.
This is just my opinion. This poem is objectively well-written. Anyone who enjoys free-verse poetry will undoubtedly love it.

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Phone Calls: Love and Money
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Gerry Steen wrote: ↑24 Sep 2024, 17:24 I enjoy reading poetry. So much imagery in such small space. It sounds like these two characters, Bill and Jane, had a nice fling together. I appreciate the gender role reversal. Men should not feel threatened or undervalued by the reality that the woman they are enjoying a relationship with is more financially secure. I could see myself experiencing my own emotions as I read the poem. You review was enlightening and honest. Thank you.

Stephen Christopher 1 wrote: ↑26 Sep 2024, 23:10 I'm not a poetry lover, in fact it's the only subject at college that I failed. But, if it's only 8 pages, I might be able to last this one. I do agree that emotions are relevant so I wonder why the author chose to write it so flatly. I'm going to give this one a read,

Anaïs Quesson wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 08:29 I'd say this poem is very accessible. Indeed, since it is written in free-verse, it doesn't contain any rhymes; I find it easier to understand than poems with elaborate rhymes and stylistic devices.
I'm curious to read your review if you end up reading it!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, Stephen

Sarah Zain wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 15:28 I recently read the book and I can say that I agree with you. I felt that something was missing. You did a good job of expressing the book. Great review.

Terry Kimble wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 20:22 I don't usually choose to read poetry, but I am very curious how an 8-paged romantic themed poem is structured (and why Bill would be struggling financially as a mobile app developer? haha), and what the poem has to do with phone calls? Thank you for your informative review. My interest is piqued--I will keep an eye out for this one.