Re: Official Review: Prose-and-Poems by Pravin Kumar

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Chrys Brobbey
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Re: Official Review: Prose-and-Poems by Pravin Kumar

Post by Chrys Brobbey »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Prose-and-Poems" by Pravin Kumar.]

When I read a book, I like to know something about the author, in order to be able to place it in some context. The name of the author of Prose-and-Poems is stated as Pravin Kumar, without some additional information given about him. My search on the internet showed an author with the name Praveen Kumar, but I am not sure if he is the same Pravin Kumar in question. Prose-and-Poems contains forty-eight poems.

The author’s love for nature shines through the poems as the dominant theme. He covers topics such as the seasons, stars, plants, birds, mountains, rivers, beaches, flowers, food, love, health and happiness. In a philosophical way he points to the cyclic nature of life – with humans being born, growing up, dying, and the birth of another being. He talks of rainwater flowing into the seas and rivers, evaporating to form clouds, with the clouds pouring down as rain. While we are aware of these things, he reinforces that consciousness in new and refreshing ways. He portrays the natural ecosystem as the joy of life that we must appreciate as humans. He buttresses this view by including in the book stunning pictures of the things that he writes about. Along the way, he promotes religion – that when you are close to nature, then "you’re never far from the Creator!"

Personally, the poems awakened in me an awareness of the things of nature that I have taken for granted, or overlooked. I bought into the author’s view that we ought to always be in awe of the beauty of nature. He suggests that when we are in tune with nature we fulfill the purpose of life, like roses whose sweet fragrances permeate a garden.

I first thought that the book consists of poems and stories in prose, on account of its title. However, that is not the case. What the author writes is a form of poetry that closely resembles prose. This makes it possible for him to relate his own experiences, as well as tell stories, in a style that makes both reading and understanding easy. He avoids the complexities of poetry devices such as rhymes, rhythms, onomatopoeia, consonance, and others. He makes use of metaphors and similes for purposes of comparison, as when he equates nurses to angels. The author writes in both the descriptive and narrative modes, as suits the particular poem.

My beef with the book is the lack of background information about the author, as I have stated earlier. In addition, there is no author’s preface or foreword, as is the norm to introduce a book to the reader. The pages of the PDF copy I obtained are not numbered, making it difficult to reference back. These noted drawbacks constrain me from awarding the book four stars. It clearly merits a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It is a book that will resonate well with lovers of nature, as well as those who are inclined to religion. Fans of poetry will also like this book, Prose-and-Poems.

-- 16 May 2017, 09:52 --

I really recommend to all to read this book. The visual aesthetics of the beauty of nature and the pictures, as well as the imagery in the poems, are truly stunning.
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Jaime Lync
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Post by Jaime Lync »

Great review. I don't mind unnumbered pages but I understand what you mean about wanting to know about the author.
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Post by Azeline Arcenal »

I don't usually read poems so I don't think I'll be interested in this book. However, I like how the author chose to write his book in a form of poetry that closely resembles prose. I think this is a unique way to tell a story. Good job on the review!
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Chrys Brobbey
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Post by Chrys Brobbey »

Hi Zana, You could cultivate the love for reading poetry, the same way that you love reading prose. For a long time, poetry has been considered the preserve of academia, but it need not be so. Reading poetry is easier and faster than reading a whole novel in prose. Try it, and you'll find it enjoyable.

-- 19 May 2017, 17:59 --

Hi Jaime, I don't know if you're a fan of poetry. If you're not, this book could serve as a basis for you to start enjoying reading poems. About getting to know the author, others feel it's no big deal since some authors use pseudonyms and they want their real identity to be hidden. So I have since revised my thought on that. Thanks for taking the time to read the review.
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Post by Amagine »

I am a huge fan of poetry and this book sounds like one that I could actually get into. I'm glad to hear that the poems tackle many topics including nature and religion.

Great Review! ?
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Chrys Brobbey
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Post by Chrys Brobbey »

Hi Amagine, I believe you'll surely enjoy reading the poems in this book. Just take a look at them. I appreciate your reading the review. Thanks.
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Post by Darakhshan Nazir »

I don't like reading poetry that much but this novel seems a nice one yo read . Thank you for the review
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