Review of Love and Other Company

[Sarah Schmidt]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Love and Other Company" by Celia Sinclair.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Love and Other Company is a collection of poems written by Celia Sinclair. From the sensuous touch of a lover’s hands to the heartrending pain of separation, from yearning for a soulmate to barricading your heart against love, Sinclair manages to relay her own experiences in relationships and with love. She gives snippets of her love life, as well as her personal feelings, through messages and poems, all mostly brief. Poems cover her loves, namely with those of Eric, Brian, Jason, and Mike, and the feelings that stood out with each, transitioning well into one another. Read this book for an evocative and immersive look at love.

This book is everything you would expect from the title, though this doesn’t make it predictable—far from it. The poems are written in a casual style, providing glimpses of Sinclair’s road with relationships, a road which may resonate with those intimately familiar with the highs and lows of love. It’s written almost exclusively in lowercase, a great choice considering the subject matter. Love and Other Company is fractioned into six parts, with five of the six seemingly being named after and directed at significant men in Sinclair’s life.

The vicissitudes of love, and other company, permeate each page of this collection. It’s as if love was viewed from different angles, times, and stages, on a journey. As Sinclair fell into love, narrating a moment or two in simple wording, so too did I; this gave the book a relatable edge. My favourite poem of the lot was ‘night angel’, one of two poems that take a nearly supernatural bent. I also liked the poems titled after the men she has loved, as they offered a telling look at her relationships with them.

I did spot the occasional error while perusing this book. None stopped or narrowed down my overall enjoyment while reading, however, and they totalled so small a number they seemed negligible. It might have been professionally edited, though not exactly meticulously so.

It’s no wonder that I have chosen to rate Love and Other Company four out of four stars. With minimal errors, a personalized feel to the poems that evokes empathy and reflects the realities of love, and a free but engagingly staggered writing style, there is much to love in this book. Readers with a penchant for bittersweet poetry from a woman’s perspective, or from the point of view of one who loves greatly, will find this book a treat. Profane elements, as well as the mature themes present, call for an adult-aged audience.

******
Love and Other Company
View: on Bookshelves

[Abdulrahman Alidriga]

The author gave snippets of her love life, as well as her personal feelings.I also liked the book.thanks for the review!

[Charylette Tropicales]

It is what we called the unconditional love and meets the standard of every couples in a relationship. It gives an inspirational feelings to love as infinity by giving their soul on their loved ones.

[Lawrence+2]

Love 8s a beautiful thing and representing it Ina poem makes it more attractive. Nice review.

[Madu Abigail]

From my experience, I can tell that this book is going to be very interesting. I would definitely get this book in my shelf. Thanks for this wonderful review.

[Chiwendu Ikechukwu]

my lobe fir poem cant be explained. i love the authors writing pattern. nive review.

[Paully_]

Lovely complilation. Kudos to the author. Thanks for the review.

[Chinemezu Okafor]

Poetry is the deepest form of self-expression. Love poems stem from a place of deep emotional connection to oneself and others. Thanks for the review.

[Onyinyechi Orji]

I'm not a fan of poems but your review seems to be calling into this genre which has scared me for a great length of a lifetime. I hope I enjoy this book as much as you did.

[Phooko Tebogo PC]

I have enjoyed reading your review, it was well drafted. It wouldn't hurt to have a tour, this seems like my kind of books.

[Ayesha Ameera Memon]

I love poetry that comes from the soul and you can really feel that the writer poured their heart out into it. Usually love-themed poems are cheesy and unrealistic but I love that the author here talks about personal experience about her lovers and relationships. This makes it more authentic and relatable which is what I love about poetry. Thanks for a lovely review!

[Ndagire Hassifah1]

The book seems interesting. I would like to know how the author expressed love through his poems. Thanks for the detailed review.

[Heyyshan Jones]

I loved how show talks about her heartbreak & trauma & vulnerability & how she named & did the chapters & the tittle

[Radhika Nair]

The title and cover are so cute! And if the review is so evocative, I can only imagine how moving the poems themselves would be. Thank you for the recommendation!

[Eze Michael]

A wonderful world of poetry that is entirely about love. Poetry involves empathy, and I'm sure I'd empathize with the author if I read this. Thanks for your honest review.