Title: The Good Side of Bad
Author: Beverly Olevin
Author's Web site link, http://www.beverlyolevin.com/
Genre: Fiction
ISBN, 978-1-935052-35-7
Review from Kirkus Reviews Discoveries
Three siblings balance family dysfunction and love in Olevin’s new novel.
Real families don’t function in vacuums, and during every crisis there are a dozen other smaller crises that need to be handled simultaneously—and are usually ignored. When baby sister Florence jumps off a bridge, her brother Peter must temporarily abandon the ferocious pace of his New York brokerage to fly to Seattle and help. Big sister Sara is used to managing Florence—the family division of labor has Peter responsible for their footloose mother—but this latest misadventure, an apparent suicide attempt, may signal an escalation in the family’s problems. Meanwhile, Peter can’t help but notice Sara’s rundown house; post-divorce, she seems resigned to poverty and a solitary life. At the same time, Florence takes note of Peter’s agitation, which the Xanax barely contains and the market crash of 2008 only exacerbates. Told over the course of an eventful year, this drama subtly and accurately examines the ways in which families interact. Alternating among voices, with chapters headed by each narrator’s name, the book reveals the layers of denial and habit that sustain patterns established in childhood. While all three characters come to life, it is Florence, with her delusions, who is the most intriguing. Olevin inhabits her fear—of the “black hoods,” of losing herself—with an artist’s touch, and her short-lived romance with Dennis, another troubled soul, is heartrending. As the cumulative crises break through each character’s reserve, we come to see that each is in crisis, a body in motion. Jarred from their accustomed paths, each takes risks and begins to grow. The resolution isn’t fairy tale perfection and shows how flawed humans may be able to find a fragile peace.
This true and telling novel is optimistic, realistic and sensitively told.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Title: The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee
Author: Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall
Website: http://www.stuartbramhall.com/
Genre: memoir
ISBN:978-1-60911-858-7
Eloquent Books, New York, 2010
Reviewed by Nicky Hagar, Author of The Hollow Men
The FBI’s aggressive infiltration and disruption of political groups in the US since the 1960s has been an appalling episode of US political history. All manner of political groups have been wrecked after being manipulated and betrayed by government informers, while their members lived with strain and damaged relationships from never being sure who they could trust or what was really going on.
Stuart Jeanne Bramhall’s The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is an autobiography revolving around her 15 years as a political campaigner facing these problems of trust and infiltration in dysfunctional social movements in the 1980s and 1990s Seattle. It is a well written, thoughtful and very honest book about twenty years of her life, including these intensely destructive politics, relationships, life as a practising psychiatrist and being a parent.
The book is a ‘memoir of an American refugee’ because in 2002, as the Iraq War inexorably approached, she applied for and was appointed to a psychiatry job in faraway New Zealand. The book ends as she leaves the US, with grateful relief for the better life awaiting her. The other half of the title is from Rosa Luxemburg’s words: “The most revolutionary act is a clear view of the world as it really is.” It is probably impossible to have a clear view of something as murky as the infiltrated progressive politics she lived through, but in the book we see an intelligent person telling the story of these real and hard experiences as clearly as is possible.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Dr Stuart Jeanne Bramhall
Website: http://www.stuartbramhall.com/
Genre: memoir
ISBN:978-1-60911-858-7
Eloquent Books, New York, 2010
Reviewed by Nicky Hagar, Author of The Hollow Men
The FBI’s aggressive infiltration and disruption of political groups in the US since the 1960s has been an appalling episode of US political history. All manner of political groups have been wrecked after being manipulated and betrayed by government informers, while their members lived with strain and damaged relationships from never being sure who they could trust or what was really going on.
Stuart Jeanne Bramhall’s The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is an autobiography revolving around her 15 years as a political campaigner facing these problems of trust and infiltration in dysfunctional social movements in the 1980s and 1990s Seattle. It is a well written, thoughtful and very honest book about twenty years of her life, including these intensely destructive politics, relationships, life as a practising psychiatrist and being a parent.
The book is a ‘memoir of an American refugee’ because in 2002, as the Iraq War inexorably approached, she applied for and was appointed to a psychiatry job in faraway New Zealand. The book ends as she leaves the US, with grateful relief for the better life awaiting her. The other half of the title is from Rosa Luxemburg’s words: “The most revolutionary act is a clear view of the world as it really is.” It is probably impossible to have a clear view of something as murky as the infiltrated progressive politics she lived through, but in the book we see an intelligent person telling the story of these real and hard experiences as clearly as is possible.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Monday, September 13, 2010
Fantasy Author Publishes Second Novel
Title: Flaming Dove
Author: Daniel Arenson
Author Website: http://www.danielarenson.com/
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-9866028-1-8
Synopsis:
Outcast from Hell. Banished from Heaven. Lost on Earth.
The battle of Armageddon was finally fought... and ended with no clear victor. Upon the mountain, the armies of Hell and Heaven beat each other into a bloody, uneasy standstill, leaving the Earth in ruins. Armageddon should have ended with Heaven winning, ushering in an era of peace. That's what the prophecies said. Instead, the two armies--one of angels, one of demons--hunker down in the scorched planet, lick their wounds, and gear up for a prolonged war with no end in sight.
In this chaos of warring armies and ruined landscapes, Laila doesn't want to take sides. Her mother was an angel, her father a demon; she is outcast from both camps. And yet both armies need her, for with her mixed blood, Laila can become the ultimate spy... or ultimate soldier. As the armies of Heaven and Hell pursue her, Laila's only war is within her heart--a struggle between her demonic and heavenly blood.
Author Bio:
Daniel Arenson is an author of fantasy fiction, from epic to dark and surreal. He began his career writing short stories. He sold his first story, "Worms Believe in God", in 1998. Since then, dozens of his stories and poems have appeared in various magazines, among them Flesh & Blood, Chizine, and Orson Scott Card's Strong Verse.
Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale, published Daniel's fantasy novel Firefly Island in 2007.
His second novel, the dark fantasy Flaming Dove, was released in 2010.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Daniel Arenson
Author Website: http://www.danielarenson.com/
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-9866028-1-8
Synopsis:
Outcast from Hell. Banished from Heaven. Lost on Earth.
The battle of Armageddon was finally fought... and ended with no clear victor. Upon the mountain, the armies of Hell and Heaven beat each other into a bloody, uneasy standstill, leaving the Earth in ruins. Armageddon should have ended with Heaven winning, ushering in an era of peace. That's what the prophecies said. Instead, the two armies--one of angels, one of demons--hunker down in the scorched planet, lick their wounds, and gear up for a prolonged war with no end in sight.
In this chaos of warring armies and ruined landscapes, Laila doesn't want to take sides. Her mother was an angel, her father a demon; she is outcast from both camps. And yet both armies need her, for with her mixed blood, Laila can become the ultimate spy... or ultimate soldier. As the armies of Heaven and Hell pursue her, Laila's only war is within her heart--a struggle between her demonic and heavenly blood.
Author Bio:
Daniel Arenson is an author of fantasy fiction, from epic to dark and surreal. He began his career writing short stories. He sold his first story, "Worms Believe in God", in 1998. Since then, dozens of his stories and poems have appeared in various magazines, among them Flesh & Blood, Chizine, and Orson Scott Card's Strong Verse.
Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale, published Daniel's fantasy novel Firefly Island in 2007.
His second novel, the dark fantasy Flaming Dove, was released in 2010.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Carol Upton Reviews Poetry for Those Who Love Horses
Blue Mountain Rider
By Mary Benson and Hedy Strauss
Publisher: Xlibris
Paperback, 2009, $19.99
Also available in Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4415-7108
Reviewed by Carol M. Upton for Horses All
This collection of poems reflects our deepest emotions, ambitions, desires, hopes, fears, and dreams. It illustrates love and respect for an animal that has earned its way into our structure of life. ~ Hedy Strauss
Blue Mountain Rider is one of the few poetry collections dedicated to a celebration of the horse. Mary Benson and Hedy Strauss bring us an exceptional anthology that describes the countless ways in which these unusual creatures have enriched our lives.
In the opening section, ‘Horse Evolving’, we are treated to elemental images that remind us why we are often so drawn to horses. In ‘Wild Spirit’ Strauss writes one of several poems about the mustangs whose dramatic images appear in current news of round ups and herd management:
“The sound of hoofbeats
fill the air
Wild prairie phantoms – disappear!”
Benson offers us the ethereal ‘Night Ride’ plucked from childhood dreams:
“Oh, the desert sings to me
And I ride
In windswept flight, aloft and free
Forever in this enchanted land, Pegasus and me.”
Other sections include poems dedicated to specific types such as the Appaloosa, the hard-working mules of history, and the world’s wild horses, from the Steppes of Asia to the Moors of Brittany. Another cluster reminds us how horses have served throughout history, in city streets and country fields, on police patrol or cutting cattle. Special relationships between girls and horses are explored in such tender poems as ‘Pigtails and Ponytails’ and ‘Mane of Red and Gold’. There is sadness, too, in Benson’s pondering: “Oh, how will we say farewell?” and Strauss acknowledging how “It will break my heart the day you die.”
This book is a memorable gift for any horse-lover, but you’ll likely want a second copy for your bedside table, so you can savour these evocative lyrics whenever you wish.
Combining their love of horses and the outdoors, Mary Benson and Hedy Strauss immigrated to the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York where they met. Whether it is preserving wild mustang heritage or saving horses from slaughter, both women are passionate advocates for animal welfare. Visit Mary and Hedy at http://www.bluemountainrider.com/
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
By Mary Benson and Hedy Strauss
Publisher: Xlibris
Paperback, 2009, $19.99
Also available in Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4415-7108
Reviewed by Carol M. Upton for Horses All
This collection of poems reflects our deepest emotions, ambitions, desires, hopes, fears, and dreams. It illustrates love and respect for an animal that has earned its way into our structure of life. ~ Hedy Strauss
Blue Mountain Rider is one of the few poetry collections dedicated to a celebration of the horse. Mary Benson and Hedy Strauss bring us an exceptional anthology that describes the countless ways in which these unusual creatures have enriched our lives.
In the opening section, ‘Horse Evolving’, we are treated to elemental images that remind us why we are often so drawn to horses. In ‘Wild Spirit’ Strauss writes one of several poems about the mustangs whose dramatic images appear in current news of round ups and herd management:
“The sound of hoofbeats
fill the air
Wild prairie phantoms – disappear!”
Benson offers us the ethereal ‘Night Ride’ plucked from childhood dreams:
“Oh, the desert sings to me
And I ride
In windswept flight, aloft and free
Forever in this enchanted land, Pegasus and me.”
Other sections include poems dedicated to specific types such as the Appaloosa, the hard-working mules of history, and the world’s wild horses, from the Steppes of Asia to the Moors of Brittany. Another cluster reminds us how horses have served throughout history, in city streets and country fields, on police patrol or cutting cattle. Special relationships between girls and horses are explored in such tender poems as ‘Pigtails and Ponytails’ and ‘Mane of Red and Gold’. There is sadness, too, in Benson’s pondering: “Oh, how will we say farewell?” and Strauss acknowledging how “It will break my heart the day you die.”
This book is a memorable gift for any horse-lover, but you’ll likely want a second copy for your bedside table, so you can savour these evocative lyrics whenever you wish.
Combining their love of horses and the outdoors, Mary Benson and Hedy Strauss immigrated to the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York where they met. Whether it is preserving wild mustang heritage or saving horses from slaughter, both women are passionate advocates for animal welfare. Visit Mary and Hedy at http://www.bluemountainrider.com/
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Friday, September 10, 2010
A New Waste Land: Timeship Earth at Nillennium by Michael Horovitz
A New Waste Land: Timeship Earth at Nillennium
By Michael Horovitz
Genre: Poetry, Art, Politics
ISBN: 978-0-902689-18-3;
Publisher: New Departures
Distributed by Central Books, London
Reviewed by Tony Benn (Time Out London)
In this book Michael Horovitz has deployed all his many talents to produce a passionate, poetic and immensely powerful polemic against Tony Blair's New Labour Administration for the policies he pursued as Prime Minister and in particular his wars on Afghanistan and Iraq, his threats to Iran and his consistent and deliberate deception of the British public and Parliament to justify his actions.
For those who have been advocating a War Crimes Tribunal to arraign him and President Bush this poetic charge sheet could be used by any lawyer as a brief to guide him in preparing his case, and since no such trial has ever taken place A New Waste Land will remain on the record as a reminder for all those around the world who do not wish these crimes ever to be forgotten.
Michael was disappointed that the hopes raised in 1997 were so quickly dashed and even those, who like myself, never expected as much as he did, find it hard to believe that it went as badly wrong as it did.
His style is brilliant using historical quotations, pictures, cartoons and poetry laid out in a way that elevates it to the level of art to make his point and it is effective in a way that no speech could do.
Thoroughly researched, with footnotes to justify his assertions, he tackles a wide range of subjects, ranging from atomic weapons to privatisation as a deliberate instrument to diminish the role of the electorate and transfer the power back to the powerful economic forces which, today, dominate the political process so comprehensively.
Reminded of Hiroshima, we see the decision to renew Trident in its proper historical context as a conscious decision to maintain weapons of even greater power that could – if ever used – inflict death and destruction on millions of innocent people.
Palestine's unanswered pleas for peace and justice feature strongly, and we are reminded of the wicked practice of unspeakable torture that we have come to accept, as well as the rendition process, which makes it easier to transport the victims to countries where it can be done in secret, leaving the perpetrators to deny their own responsibility.
A New Waste Land is published on the 250th birthday of William Blake and, wherever his spirit now rests, Blake will be proud to read such a clear re-statement of the principles which he enunciated and which have – as this book will have – a permanent place in the libraries of the world and in the minds of those who read it.
But horrific as the picture Horovitz paints may be, we must never allow it to drive us into pessimism about the future, for hope is the fuel of progressive movements and fear is a prison into which we confine ourselves.
Knowing Michael's indomitable spirit I am sure that he too retains the hope we shall need if a peaceful and just world is to be built – as it must be.
Tony Benn (Time Out, London)
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
By Michael Horovitz
Genre: Poetry, Art, Politics
ISBN: 978-0-902689-18-3;
Publisher: New Departures
Distributed by Central Books, London
Reviewed by Tony Benn (Time Out London)
In this book Michael Horovitz has deployed all his many talents to produce a passionate, poetic and immensely powerful polemic against Tony Blair's New Labour Administration for the policies he pursued as Prime Minister and in particular his wars on Afghanistan and Iraq, his threats to Iran and his consistent and deliberate deception of the British public and Parliament to justify his actions.
For those who have been advocating a War Crimes Tribunal to arraign him and President Bush this poetic charge sheet could be used by any lawyer as a brief to guide him in preparing his case, and since no such trial has ever taken place A New Waste Land will remain on the record as a reminder for all those around the world who do not wish these crimes ever to be forgotten.
Michael was disappointed that the hopes raised in 1997 were so quickly dashed and even those, who like myself, never expected as much as he did, find it hard to believe that it went as badly wrong as it did.
His style is brilliant using historical quotations, pictures, cartoons and poetry laid out in a way that elevates it to the level of art to make his point and it is effective in a way that no speech could do.
Thoroughly researched, with footnotes to justify his assertions, he tackles a wide range of subjects, ranging from atomic weapons to privatisation as a deliberate instrument to diminish the role of the electorate and transfer the power back to the powerful economic forces which, today, dominate the political process so comprehensively.
Reminded of Hiroshima, we see the decision to renew Trident in its proper historical context as a conscious decision to maintain weapons of even greater power that could – if ever used – inflict death and destruction on millions of innocent people.
Palestine's unanswered pleas for peace and justice feature strongly, and we are reminded of the wicked practice of unspeakable torture that we have come to accept, as well as the rendition process, which makes it easier to transport the victims to countries where it can be done in secret, leaving the perpetrators to deny their own responsibility.
A New Waste Land is published on the 250th birthday of William Blake and, wherever his spirit now rests, Blake will be proud to read such a clear re-statement of the principles which he enunciated and which have – as this book will have – a permanent place in the libraries of the world and in the minds of those who read it.
But horrific as the picture Horovitz paints may be, we must never allow it to drive us into pessimism about the future, for hope is the fuel of progressive movements and fear is a prison into which we confine ourselves.
Knowing Michael's indomitable spirit I am sure that he too retains the hope we shall need if a peaceful and just world is to be built – as it must be.
Tony Benn (Time Out, London)
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Karen Cioffi Reviews Helena Harper's New Poetry Book
Title: Family & More - Enemies or Friends?
Author: Helena Harper, www.helenaharper.com
Publisher: Pen Press, http://www.penpress.co.uk/
Genre: memoir, poetry
ISBN 13: 978-1907172649
ISBN-10: 1907172645
Reviewed by Karen Cioffi originally for Amazon
Reviewer's rating: 5 stars
Family and More – Enemies or Friends? is more than a collection of poems, it is a story I enjoyed and learned from. As you read this book, it becomes clear that the author put a great deal of time and effort into the choice of every word used. Each poem has a melodic flow that moves smoothly into the next.
Family and More enlightens the reader to the conflicts and confusion that exist in a family divided by war. Being the child of a German mother and English father in the aftermath of WWII, the author delves into her family’s history by examining the lives of several family members as well as other personal relationships. Each poem is an intertwined life. With descriptive imagery these people come alive; you see their struggles and triumphs.
This wonderful poetic story goes beyond a family history; it depicts the futility, frustration and hardship of war, along with the frailties and strengths of the people that make up each of our families.
Family and More – Enemies or Friends? is a beautifully written book. I highly recommend it.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Helena Harper, www.helenaharper.com
Publisher: Pen Press, http://www.penpress.co.uk/
Genre: memoir, poetry
ISBN 13: 978-1907172649
ISBN-10: 1907172645
Reviewed by Karen Cioffi originally for Amazon
Reviewer's rating: 5 stars
Family and More – Enemies or Friends? is more than a collection of poems, it is a story I enjoyed and learned from. As you read this book, it becomes clear that the author put a great deal of time and effort into the choice of every word used. Each poem has a melodic flow that moves smoothly into the next.
Family and More enlightens the reader to the conflicts and confusion that exist in a family divided by war. Being the child of a German mother and English father in the aftermath of WWII, the author delves into her family’s history by examining the lives of several family members as well as other personal relationships. Each poem is an intertwined life. With descriptive imagery these people come alive; you see their struggles and triumphs.
This wonderful poetic story goes beyond a family history; it depicts the futility, frustration and hardship of war, along with the frailties and strengths of the people that make up each of our families.
Family and More – Enemies or Friends? is a beautifully written book. I highly recommend it.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Eloise Michael Review Book of Love Poems
A Book of Poems: The Inner Soul
By: Anthony F. Rando
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Publication Date: June 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4490-9991-6
Reviewed by: Eloise Michael for Feathered Quill Book Reviews
In A Book of Poems: The Inner Soul, Anthony Rando writes about love, fear, and loss, subjects that have moved authors for as long as people have been writing poetry. Here Rando shares his deepest feelings, exploring them through metaphor and simile. The voice of the poet is earnest throughout this collection. Readers will feel as though Rando
wrote the poems in the midst of the intensity of feeling that he describes. They are raw and honest, holding back no emotion; they are love and longing in real time. The author makes little attempt to temper his passion with balance or perspective.
Rando employs images of light and dark to speak of sadness and loss and to contrast that sadness with the joy he dreams of possessing once again. The majority of the poems in the collection are love poems, written for a woman he compares to an angel, of whom he writes, “She is my heaven, my earth. She is everything to my heart." Some of these poems are written in the second person, speaking directly to her, and many are
descriptions of this woman and the overwhelming feelings that the author has for her.
Rando showers his beloved with praise and adoration throughout the book. A reader will no doubt long to find someone so worthy or perhaps dream that a poet will one day write such a poem for her.
Though most of Rando's poems are celebrations of the love he has found, and the woman with whom he has found it, the poems speak also of sadness. Rando hints at the loneliness he felt before finding this love, the emptiness he feels without her. “The Rose from Afar” is an example of this tension between joy and emptiness.
The Rose from Afar
The sweet smell of her skin
A warm wind embracing my heart
Like a blanket wrapped around my soul
The morning sunshine surrounds the mountains above
A beautiful rose appears from afar
Colors so vibrant they illuminate your darkest days
Tears fill my eyes as I watch the rose disappear into the
night sky
Missing my rose, like love missing from my empty heart.
Rando truly writes from the heart, expressing his joy and his pain with equal intensity. The title of this collection, The Inner Soul is fitting, as this book is Rando's deepest and most personal emotions set on paper.
Quill says: Passionate poems about love, loneliness, and loss.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
By: Anthony F. Rando
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Publication Date: June 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4490-9991-6
Reviewed by: Eloise Michael for Feathered Quill Book Reviews
In A Book of Poems: The Inner Soul, Anthony Rando writes about love, fear, and loss, subjects that have moved authors for as long as people have been writing poetry. Here Rando shares his deepest feelings, exploring them through metaphor and simile. The voice of the poet is earnest throughout this collection. Readers will feel as though Rando
wrote the poems in the midst of the intensity of feeling that he describes. They are raw and honest, holding back no emotion; they are love and longing in real time. The author makes little attempt to temper his passion with balance or perspective.
Rando employs images of light and dark to speak of sadness and loss and to contrast that sadness with the joy he dreams of possessing once again. The majority of the poems in the collection are love poems, written for a woman he compares to an angel, of whom he writes, “She is my heaven, my earth. She is everything to my heart." Some of these poems are written in the second person, speaking directly to her, and many are
descriptions of this woman and the overwhelming feelings that the author has for her.
Rando showers his beloved with praise and adoration throughout the book. A reader will no doubt long to find someone so worthy or perhaps dream that a poet will one day write such a poem for her.
Though most of Rando's poems are celebrations of the love he has found, and the woman with whom he has found it, the poems speak also of sadness. Rando hints at the loneliness he felt before finding this love, the emptiness he feels without her. “The Rose from Afar” is an example of this tension between joy and emptiness.
The Rose from Afar
The sweet smell of her skin
A warm wind embracing my heart
Like a blanket wrapped around my soul
The morning sunshine surrounds the mountains above
A beautiful rose appears from afar
Colors so vibrant they illuminate your darkest days
Tears fill my eyes as I watch the rose disappear into the
night sky
Missing my rose, like love missing from my empty heart.
Rando truly writes from the heart, expressing his joy and his pain with equal intensity. The title of this collection, The Inner Soul is fitting, as this book is Rando's deepest and most personal emotions set on paper.
Quill says: Passionate poems about love, loneliness, and loss.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
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