Review of Echoes of My Heart

[Vivian Writes]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Echoes of My Heart" by Darrell M Davis.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Echoes of My Heart by Darrell M. Davis is a collection of poems. The book begins with an existential poem titled Love Comforts Me that ponders the strength of individuality and authenticity in the face of selfishness and public opinion. The theme moves on to a romantic one with poems like Falling in Love, Josephine, and Oouchie-Kouchie. Diving deeper into the book, the theme suddenly changes once again to a more villainous one with Fugitive at Heart, where the author writes in first person as a character who is some sort of criminal.

My favorite thing about the book was that I found some poems, like Oh Ye Ancient of Days, Forgive for a Brighter Tomorrow, and Think Constructively, to be well thought out and insightful. I found other poems like Darling I Love You and A Dark Life to be particularly touching. A lot of the poems read to me like lyrics for beautiful and touching songs.

However, a lot of the poems do not have much of a rhyming scheme, nor do they have rhythm. Some of the poems, like Make Love With Me, are quite simplistic and do not require much thought nor spark deep inspiration. My major gripe with the book is the page art background for each poem. For most poems, the page art made the words illegible, which broke my reading flow and made my reading experience less enjoyable.

In addition, I found some poems to be overtly sexual in a crass way, which I did not enjoy. Panther, for instance, referenced a panther on the prowl for a “pussy cat.” The use of symbolism in this manner did not make for a stirring read, in my opinion. True to the book’s lack of a cohesive theme, just after “Panther” were poems that referenced God and heaven. I found this sequence of poems disconcerting. I believe the book could have been better if the author decided on a more cohesive theme for the entire book or arranged the poems in themes.

Nonetheless, I believe that the book is still a worthwhile read. Most poems in the book have a romantic tilt and will certainly give romantic partners inspiration for date nights or special days. I would recommend this book for romantic people and people looking for warm words for their partners. However, owing to the obstructive page art and some of the crasser poems, I remove 2 stars and rate the book 3 out of 5 stars.

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Echoes of My Heart
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