Review of One Woman's Long and Lonely Walk

[Dimi1]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "One Woman's Long and Lonely Walk" by Gail Hart.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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One Woman’s Long and Lonely Walk by Gail Hart is a collection of poems written mostly in free verse, while rhyming, usually between two verses of the same stanza, seems to be the purpose in most parts. There is an emphasis on having stanzas mostly with four verses while a specific meter or pattern seems to be of secondary importance. The only exception is the Haikus included. The poems are concerning various topics and inner quests that the author had to address during her course of life, and a few of them could also touch the wider public.

The collection seems like clear soul-depositing poetry that matches exactly the book’s title, i.e., the author’s long walk through her life. In this respect, one can identify sad, happy, tender, and harsh poems that depict life’s ups and downs. Such poems probably speak to the casual reader although they are far away from being characterized as belonging to the so-called noble poetry. Given this, I found interesting the poem “Heart to Heart” mainly because it has a turn different than the one expected by seeing the title. In addition, I liked “The Past” for its motivational message and the optimism it radiates. Lastly, the book contains a few typos and errors that request editing, so it seems well edited.

On the other hand, most poems seem to use stereotypical language that hides no messages and would difficultly appeal to poetry lovers. There is a constant patronizing tone in most poems and no subtle expressions or words that could engage the reader or make one philosophize on life’s aspects, which I consider as a prerequisite when speaking about memorable poetry. In this respect, poems such as “Destruction”, “Peace of Mind”, although true, hide no surprises and contain overused expressions that will not surprise the reader. The advice “Follow your heart” is a typical example of an overused expression that doesn’t make an impression anymore. In addition, the book contains poems with which the reader will probably not relate at all. Most of the personal and author’s true-life poems belong to this category and make one wonder why the author didn’t just prefer prose to describe aspects of her life and used poems instead. In this context, “One more Niece”, for example, probably speaks to no one else except for the poet and her niece.

Overall, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars for a decent effort and the positive stance towards life that most of the poems encompass. Given that the poetry included is quite stereotypical and ordinary, I could not give the book a better rating. Rhyming, which is also forced in many parts, doesn’t seem to be enough to engage poetry lovers.

Given the above, the book will surely appeal to the author’s friends and family. Also, it will probably appeal to casual readers that have little to no relationship with poetry.

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One Woman's Long and Lonely Walk
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[Rishi_reviews]

I'm not much of a poem person but I thought about giving it a try, but I think I should pick up another book as this one seems to have some difficulties in it. Thanks for the honest review.

[Susan Gibbs]

This is an interesting review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for the honesty regarding the poems being fairly stereotypical. Patronizing tones and many unrelatable poems do not sound enticing to a reader. I get the feeling there was a sort of negativity in these poems. I think I will rather miss this book, but thank you for the review.

[Georg Kelb]

I guess I'll skip this one, but your review mentioned some good points. Thanks for your honest and detailed review!