Official Review: Autumn Woods

EmunahAn · Post by **EmunahAn** » 12 Mar 2019, 03:26

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Autumn Woods" by Jane Summers (Durga Madiraju).]

4 out of 4 stars

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Autumn Woods by Jane Summers (Durga Madiraju) is a heartfelt poetry collection that captures the charm of autumn and other seasons in life. Using beautiful imagery as her backdrop, Summers describes circumstances that evoke different emotions as each season passes. In the poem, “Autumn Wishes” the poet describes days that are never empty since they are filled with opportunities to be kind to others. In another wonderful poem, “An Autumn Forest” she describes the enchantment of nature and how it changes during the season of autumn. The collection contains underlying themes of kindness and love for nature in the midst of changing emotions and seasons.

I enjoyed reading the poems since the beauty displayed by each of them is almost tangible. Summers describes each scene and engages the five senses. Through the images contained in the book, she allowed me a glimpse into her life. The images also compliment the collection and act as wonderful breaks in between different poems. Through her descriptions, different emotions are captured. Not all the poems contain happy memories and scenes, some contain strands of sorrow which makes the collection even more emotionally engaging.

The poems are deeply nostalgic which I liked and the word choice selected by the author ensures that the collection effectively communicates the intentions of the poet. The words used are few but powerful. This makes the poems emotionally impactful without the use of too many details. In the poem, “Autumn Rose” the poet describes the delightful combination of hues and colors that appear during autumn using the lines: “Autumn Rose, Petals richer and darker, an autumn purple, A deep pink, A gold, colorful, an autumnal celebration!” The descriptions are told along themes of friendship and family. Even though the words are few, the themes they describe and the imaginations they evoke make the poems captivating.

Many lines in the poems are concluded by exclamation marks which I thought was not essential since the phrases are powerful enough by themselves. I would have also appreciated the inclusion of a wider array of themes over and above the ones that appear in the book.

Autumn Woods by Jane Summers (Durga Madiraju) is professionally edited and I only identified one insignificant error. When read aloud, the words come alive and they bring out the beauty contained in various seasons. The collection is also uplifting and inspiring and will be a wonderful read for any fan of poetry that describes seasons. Readers who prefer less nostalgic poetry may not enjoy reading the book. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

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Autumn Woods
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Jaime Lync · Post by **Jaime Lync** » 30 Mar 2019, 01:15

Great review. This sounds like an intriguing collection of poems, despite the lack of more themes as you mentioned. Thanks for sharing.

diatech83 · Post by **diatech83** » 30 Mar 2019, 03:32

I love your review. It is very descriptive and it definitely makes me want to read this collection of poems.

abdoumed64 · Post by **abdoumed64** » 30 Mar 2019, 04:16

A very evocative review that really makes one want to grab Summers collection and start reading it right away. I loved the fact that you think that the verses do not need any exclamation marks, since they are already powerful enough.

Juliana_Isabella · Post by **Juliana_Isabella** » 30 Mar 2019, 17:34

Thanks for the review. I appreciated you including lines from the book, since enjoying poetry can be so dependent on each person's preferences.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 31 Mar 2019, 08:30

I like the book describing the seasons and different emotions during those times of the year as well as being uplifting. It sounds like it is very well written. Good review!

frowngoclownfish · Post by **frowngoclownfish** » 31 Mar 2019, 09:15

I don't think I have ever read a book of poetry before. This one sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for the review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 01 Apr 2019, 08:34

I've said this before: I really should try poetry again. It's just not something I gravitate towards. I don't enjoy looking for that deeper meaning, pouring over the words. Still, this sounds fairly straight forward and beautiful. Thanks so much.