Review of The Meaning of Life and Other Poems

[Oyedeji Okikioluwa]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Meaning of Life and Other Poems" by Thomas Kleven.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Meaning of Life and Other Poems is a 99-page anthology by Thomas Kleven. The book describes animals' nature, notable humans, and events that impart moral lessons to readers.

The book is comprised of forty-four poems. The first ten poems mirrored a duck family, the physics of attraction, the formation of the universe, the disturbing nature of insects, and the earth's rotation. And then we had the poems that explained humans and dinosaurs, death, the Bible and its stories, tale of Gulliver, feelings, pontification, portraits, and prodigy. It then continued by describing life in general, the struggle for survival, the tides, winter, the elephants, and many more. Are you curious to know how these poems are entertaining and informative? Grab a copy of this book to find out.

One thing I loved about this book was the poem's preciseness and sensibility at the same time. Although most of the poems were short, the author perfectly conveyed each meaning to readers. A poem such as the meaning of life was written in a story form that explained the writer's central message.

I have no prior knowledge about the poet but judging from the content of this book, Thomas Kleven is an experienced writer and poet. He made sure to incorporate his knowledge of poems into his writing. For a perfectly complete poem, certain elements must be contained therein, and the author did not disappoint, as he enriched each line with these elements. The poet made excellent use of elements such as similes, caesura, and alliteration. A particular poem comprised of tercets throughout, and most of the lines of the poems rhymed. These were very notable and made the poems beautiful and unique.

I loved that some images were included in the book and the author's style of putting the image(s) for a particular poem before it. This helps the reader's mindset on what to expect from the poem. The poet, in his poem, raised critical life topics such as the inevitability of death, the ease at which life should be taken, the importance of good behavior, hope, and others. Also, poems like prodigy taught parents the importance of accepting children's beliefs, plans, and dreams.

There is nothing to dislike in this book, as it is entertaining, educating, and informative. Therefore, I rate The Meaning of Life and Other Poems four out of four stars. Also, the book was exceptionally edited, as I observed no error in it. I recommend this book to lovers of poetry and those who enjoy informative books. They will learn lessons from this anthology by Thomas Kleven.

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The Meaning of Life and Other Poems
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[Urvashi Tripathi]

I love animals and like writing poems too. And I see there are many things in this book I would love to read like dinosaurs and the Bible and it's stories. This would be a great read for me. I'm excited to give this book a try. Thank you for the beautiful review.

[Aarti Jha]

The book has almost everything i want to read. Poetry has always been my preferred way of expressing myself. I am sure i am going to read these poems. Thanks much for the review!

[Edria Dayyinah]

All the topics for these poems are so intriguing. Many lessons to learn from this book. What an insightful review!

[IamJc_Bembo12]

A book worth reading. Poetry has always been my preference and I’ll never get bored reading some. Thanks for this honest review, I should definitely give this a try.