Review by khusnick -- The Immigrant's Lament
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khusnick
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Review by khusnick -- The Immigrant's Lament
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Immigrant's Lament" by Mois benarroch.]
2 out of 4 stars
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The Immigrant’s Lament, by Mois Benarroch, is a collection of poems covering topics including the life of an immigrant, love, expectations held for poets, and religion. The first poem, for which the collection is named, provides perspectives of many different family members and their experiences over time as original immigrants, their children, and their grandchildren. The poems become more general afterwards until “Self Portrait of the Poet in a Family Mirror” ties the collection together at the end.
“The Immigrant’s Lament” is insightful and descriptive. It starts the book’s emotional and introspective tone. The wide range of topics and emotions utilized throughout collection makes it easily relatable for many different perspectives. I liked the variety because it gives the opportunity for anyone to connect with what the poet has to say. There is no censorship or limitations. The writing feels raw and real rather than being glossed over.
The variety does, however, have its down sides. Some poems feel out of place in the overall collection. Topics are also scattered in some places with no transitions between major changes. The jump from love poems to mentioning Hitler was especially drastic. That specific shift pulled away the captivation that had built up for me during the previous poems.
Disorganization and the quick subject changes are among the reasons why I give The Immigrant’s Lament a 2 out of 4 stars rating. I enjoyed parts of the book, but it has many problems. It does not appear to have been professionally edited. Grammatical errors and misspelled words occur frequently. The table of contents appears at the end and acts more as an index. I was disappointed that words in other languages are not provided translations at any point with footnotes or a glossary.
My rating is also influenced by contradictions and unnecessary repetitions in some of the poems. While repetitiveness is sometimes an important stylistic choice, these two factors became barriers to reading the poems. I lost focus, interest, and occasionally, my place. It limited my comprehension and lost my attention where either element occurs in excess.
Regardless of the negative aspects, The Immigrant’s Lament provides a very descriptive narrative. While I do not recommend all poems in the collection, it does have a few incredible pieces. Explicit language occurs in some poems as well, and I would not recommend it to younger audiences for that reason. Otherwise, it has something to offer for all audiences with the individual poems, if not as a whole.
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The Immigrant's Lament
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Immigrant’s Lament, by Mois Benarroch, is a collection of poems covering topics including the life of an immigrant, love, expectations held for poets, and religion. The first poem, for which the collection is named, provides perspectives of many different family members and their experiences over time as original immigrants, their children, and their grandchildren. The poems become more general afterwards until “Self Portrait of the Poet in a Family Mirror” ties the collection together at the end.
“The Immigrant’s Lament” is insightful and descriptive. It starts the book’s emotional and introspective tone. The wide range of topics and emotions utilized throughout collection makes it easily relatable for many different perspectives. I liked the variety because it gives the opportunity for anyone to connect with what the poet has to say. There is no censorship or limitations. The writing feels raw and real rather than being glossed over.
The variety does, however, have its down sides. Some poems feel out of place in the overall collection. Topics are also scattered in some places with no transitions between major changes. The jump from love poems to mentioning Hitler was especially drastic. That specific shift pulled away the captivation that had built up for me during the previous poems.
Disorganization and the quick subject changes are among the reasons why I give The Immigrant’s Lament a 2 out of 4 stars rating. I enjoyed parts of the book, but it has many problems. It does not appear to have been professionally edited. Grammatical errors and misspelled words occur frequently. The table of contents appears at the end and acts more as an index. I was disappointed that words in other languages are not provided translations at any point with footnotes or a glossary.
My rating is also influenced by contradictions and unnecessary repetitions in some of the poems. While repetitiveness is sometimes an important stylistic choice, these two factors became barriers to reading the poems. I lost focus, interest, and occasionally, my place. It limited my comprehension and lost my attention where either element occurs in excess.
Regardless of the negative aspects, The Immigrant’s Lament provides a very descriptive narrative. While I do not recommend all poems in the collection, it does have a few incredible pieces. Explicit language occurs in some poems as well, and I would not recommend it to younger audiences for that reason. Otherwise, it has something to offer for all audiences with the individual poems, if not as a whole.
******
The Immigrant's Lament
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like khusnick's review? Post a comment saying so!
