Review of Clown

[Nikolas Farmakis]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Clown" by Darren D Rudolph.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Clown by Darren D Rudolph is a collection of poems on themes such as mystery, revenge, and disguise. The writer utilizes an informal, dark, and mystic tone to create drama and suspense in the poems in the text.

The first poem in the text is about feuds and revenge, as the poet compares a sword that slits throats with an immortal feud. Next, the poet discusses moving up the world stage, highlighting that many battles are required to elevate oneself. Another poem is about a clown that comes to life and spreads fear and terror. Also, the poet talks about enjoying the moment when a masterful clown gets ready to attack. Moreover, the author explores the theme of chaos and confusion by writing about a showdown with handguns between geniuses. Next, an oil man sets down strict conditions about his prices, warning his customers about fake brothers that may break their spirit. Another poem is about anxiety, which is compared to seasickness accompanied by annoying music. I did not find any objective grammatical errors in the text, as any errors I could find in the book could be attributed to poetic creativity.

I did not like any elements in the text. First of all, the poems were not very creative, as there was a sense of monotony and dullness in the text due to the fact that the poet frequently repeated himself. Moreover, the writer did not utilize enough poetic techniques and linguistic devices in the poems, meaning that the book lacked adequate excitement, creativity, and interest. Furthermore, I felt that the book was too short, showing me that the poet was not able to successfully fully express his ideas through the poems. What I disliked most about the text was that it was not coherently structured since it was very poorly organized. I could not draw any meaning from the poems in the text, as the poet combined random ideas together with no cohesiveness, thereby confusing the reader. In other words, it was very difficult to get in the poet’s head and understand the ideas behind his poems.

This book will be mostly liked by adult readers who enjoy contemporary poetry. Readers who like poems with dark and mysterious themes will appreciate this book more. Young readers should avoid this book because it contains some profanity.

In conclusion, I rate this book with 1 out of 4 stars. I gave this book the lowest possible score since it lacked creativity and interest, while it was also incoherently structured.

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Clown
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[Blessing Odii]

Poems are always interesting to read. I admire the fact that the book is made up of different themes. Great review.

[Kelsey Copeland]

I find it interesting that you mention the book being too short, and that it worked against your ability to grab onto a strong sense of meaning from the book as a whole. As a poet myself, I am very curious about my own ability to put enough of the right poems together in what feels like a cohesive composition.

Do you think you would have liked the book any better if it had more poems but you still didn’t understand the meaning behind it? I think it might (in theory) for me, but only because I would feel there was more effort given. But that’s still not quite enough if everything else you mention is true.

Anyway, I really do like your review. It’s informative and good critique is always nice to read, even if it isn’t directed at me.

[Reading_Jack]

I would love to read this book to discover these myself. thanks for an honest review anyways.