Review of To James & Sarah With Love
Posted: 25 Jun 2021, 04:51
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "To James & Sarah With Love" by Shontay Celinda Luna.]
To James & Sarah with Love by Shontay Celinda Luna is a collection of poems based on expressions used from the 1920s through the 1940s by a generation that lived hard times and whose “sole focus was to get a good job”. The poems are heavily based on the author’s connection with her paternal grandparents and are highly emotional and sensitive. In this respect, with the exception of the haikus somewhere near the end, no particular meter or pattern is followed, while the focus seems to be on applying words and expressions that have faded out during the years.
The author uses a common language that provides nostalgic images and a glimpse of the era she refers to. All of the poems seem approachable to the casual readers and some of them seem to touch their inner feelings. I particularly liked “The Gaffer” and the lovely sentimentality it features; it’s a typical example of soul-searching poetry where the author deposits her deep feelings on her grandfather and this is probably appealing to everyone. The book doesn’t have any typos or errors, but this actually seems minor, considering that we speak about poetry where supposed errors are often intentional.
On the other hand, some of the poems, i.e., “Segregated Signage”, “Keys”, “Poor Chronicles One”, etc., are using descriptive and explanatory language that seems to not hide anything. Considering the overall purpose of poetry, which is to stimulate the reader to identify hidden meanings from allegorical words and expressions, this seems like a major drawback since everything seems crystal clear. Also, the particular author’s philosophy will probably lead the reader to wonder whether this is practically poetry or just very sentimental prose. Nevertheless, one cannot overlook the fact that even if it’s prose, it’s still well written and quite powerful while the wording is very interesting and engaging.
Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars for its beautiful expressions, powerful images, and sentimentality that probably touches everyone’s heart. One star was deducted because of its prosaic character in some parts, which deviates from the poetic character that the author wishes to establish.
Given the above, the book will appeal to readers wishing to gain access to a hard era with its ups and downs. Due to its simple and loose wording and expressions, it is likely that the book won’t engage meticulous poetry lovers, but it’s highly possible that it will engage all people being nostalgic for old times.
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To James & Sarah With Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
To James & Sarah with Love by Shontay Celinda Luna is a collection of poems based on expressions used from the 1920s through the 1940s by a generation that lived hard times and whose “sole focus was to get a good job”. The poems are heavily based on the author’s connection with her paternal grandparents and are highly emotional and sensitive. In this respect, with the exception of the haikus somewhere near the end, no particular meter or pattern is followed, while the focus seems to be on applying words and expressions that have faded out during the years.
The author uses a common language that provides nostalgic images and a glimpse of the era she refers to. All of the poems seem approachable to the casual readers and some of them seem to touch their inner feelings. I particularly liked “The Gaffer” and the lovely sentimentality it features; it’s a typical example of soul-searching poetry where the author deposits her deep feelings on her grandfather and this is probably appealing to everyone. The book doesn’t have any typos or errors, but this actually seems minor, considering that we speak about poetry where supposed errors are often intentional.
On the other hand, some of the poems, i.e., “Segregated Signage”, “Keys”, “Poor Chronicles One”, etc., are using descriptive and explanatory language that seems to not hide anything. Considering the overall purpose of poetry, which is to stimulate the reader to identify hidden meanings from allegorical words and expressions, this seems like a major drawback since everything seems crystal clear. Also, the particular author’s philosophy will probably lead the reader to wonder whether this is practically poetry or just very sentimental prose. Nevertheless, one cannot overlook the fact that even if it’s prose, it’s still well written and quite powerful while the wording is very interesting and engaging.
Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars for its beautiful expressions, powerful images, and sentimentality that probably touches everyone’s heart. One star was deducted because of its prosaic character in some parts, which deviates from the poetic character that the author wishes to establish.
Given the above, the book will appeal to readers wishing to gain access to a hard era with its ups and downs. Due to its simple and loose wording and expressions, it is likely that the book won’t engage meticulous poetry lovers, but it’s highly possible that it will engage all people being nostalgic for old times.
******
To James & Sarah With Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
