Review of My Ups And Downs

Eutoc · Post by **Eutoc** » 06 Sep 2021, 07:11

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "My Ups And Downs" by Sam Barder.]

3 out of 4 stars

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My Ups And Downs by Sam Barder is a reminiscence of the author’s life experiences in the form of short poems. The poems depict some of the joyful experiences the author had, albeit some experiences came with sorrow. This mix of experiences is what makes up this collection of poems.

“Maria Teresa” was one of the poems which showed a glimmer of love the author received from a Spanish girl Maria. Unfortunately, the mutual affection was short-lived. No better way could have been used to describe the solace one could find in something than in “Sammy the Bee”. The poem narrated the life of a bee, Sammy, who sets out to fulfill the needs of the flowers surrounding him but rarely his own needs. Sammy eventually finds a flower where he feels is the best place he should be. Seeing the departure of a lover at the very last minute was the underlying idea behind “The Mosaic”. Some other poems, like “Ellie’s Story”, “Sharing”, and “The Little Cup”, are more generic, without having any specific theme to be ascribed to them.

The book is a collection of nineteen poems. It can be read in one sitting since each poem is about a page long. Although some poems, like “Maria Teresa”, “Sharon’s Jungle”, “The Mosiac”, and “Ellie’s Story”, were written in parts, so they occupied more than a page. Most of the poems are about love and expressions of affection towards something or someone. I guess these should be categorized as the author’s best moments. These are what he attributes as his ups.

I am not always a fan of poems, but I’ve been lucky to pick ones that end up impressing me. Reading one’s account of their ups and downs is moving because you tend to relate to some of their narrations. Some days things go as planned, while the others go awry. I enjoyed Sam’s choice of words in expressing the emotional thrills of the poems.

There were only a few things that I do not like about this collection. Firstly, my expectations of the content of the book weren’t met. Family, career, friendship and health were among the things that I was expecting from the book. But to my surprise, it was mostly about the author expressing his affections. I have nothing against love, just that I expected more from the book. Secondly, there’s this bit of inconsistency in the book formatting. Each poem was meant to be started on a different page, but it isn’t so here. Some poems started on the same page where the previous one ended.

I would rate My Ups And Downs 3 out of 4 stars. I deducted a star because of the points highlighted in the previous paragraph. Other than that, it would have deserved a perfect rating. I didn’t find any errors in the book. I can say the book is impeccably edited. I would recommend this piece to readers who enjoy reading poems centered on love and life.

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My Ups And Downs
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Pearl Thomas · Post by **Pearl Thomas** » 20 Sep 2021, 09:11

Sounds like a lovely collection of poems. I wonder if the poet intentionally included the formatting inconsistencies. Thank you for your interesting review.

Mtibza eM · Post by **Mtibza eM** » 20 Sep 2021, 09:35

The author, choosing to express about their life through poems is something different and extraordinary.

T T 2 · Post by **T T 2** » 20 Sep 2021, 10:08

I am not a fan of poems either but reading some of the synopsis of the poem I would love to give it a try. Thank you for a detailed description of the book.

Muggu · Post by **Muggu** » 20 Sep 2021, 22:30

Poems in which feelings are converted makes an absolute sense my heart molten by reading them although there are a bit of inconsistent

Chinaza Nnabuenyi · Post by **Chinaza Nnabuenyi** » 21 Sep 2021, 04:30

Hunan's life is full of ups and downs, and the ability for the author to put this in poem, is a pleasant one. Great review!

Elisa Joy Ocasla · Post by **Elisa Joy Ocasla** » 21 Sep 2021, 14:23

This is a collation of poems that offers us epiphanies about how life functions. It seems like some of the poems are truly heartwarming, which will actually touch me.

Gabriella1997 · Post by **Gabriella1997** » 23 Sep 2021, 01:43

Expressing emotions in poems are always perfect, I love poetic books, nice review.

Astral Magi · Post by **Astral Magi** » 13 Oct 2021, 07:13

I like the sound of it. A pity about the subjects that weren't covered. Thanks for a lovely review.

Elendu Ekechukwu · Post by **Elendu Ekechukwu** » 19 Oct 2021, 03:41

Life is not a bed of roses. I can't wait to read this book.

Avishi · Post by **Avishi** » 29 Oct 2021, 03:47

Thank you for your feedback. I've never tried a poetry book before. However, it's interesting to note that the author wrote these poems based on his own life experiences.

katerina_12 · Post by **katerina_12** » 10 Jan 2022, 10:52

Thanks for your honest and detailed review! I would love to read this book.

Faith Ejai · Post by **Faith Ejai** » 04 Jan 2023, 04:15

I loved the way you wrote the review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for providing this useful information. I'm sure many will love this book.

Post by **Hazel Mae Bagarinao** » 07 Apr 2023, 04:55

Though I am not a 100% fan of poems, I might pick up this book in the future. I like the idea of love and affection. Your review is wonderful!

Neto Chukwu · Post by **Neto Chukwu** » 05 May 2023, 04:34

I don’t really enjoy poems probably because I haven’t given it so much thoughts but I would love to give this poem a chance since you enjoyed reading it. This is a detailed review.