Review of Untimely Shadows
-
David Milaham
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 276
- Joined: 12 May 2023, 05:09
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 36
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-david-milaham.html
- Latest Review: Cross Intents by Scott Wells
Review of Untimely Shadows
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Untimely Shadows" by Michael Cramer.]
The author of this book is a man who has experienced life through many different happenings, as it shows in his writing. "Untimely Shadows" is a book of poems that this author uses to paint his own perspective so that more sets of eyes can see the world from his point of view. It reveals some truths about life, like the suffering that people in parts of the world undergo and the very deranged condition of the society in which we live today. These important points have a poetic style backing to make them artistic while still imprinting an image on readers’ imaginations.
There was a unique sense in the writing style of this book, and I liked that. It had a bit of a direct approach, yet it seemed to be done with finesse. As the author intended to impart an understanding of their own point of view, I thought this approach did a very fine job. In the chapter titled “Innocents,” for instance, the phrase “In the dark of daylight...” properly represented the idea of people successfully taking advantage of children—a thing that happens right under everyone’s noses. This apt representation carries with it layers of thought seedlings that would make a person take a step back and think about the avoidable situations that we humans put ourselves in deliberately. The fact that the author appreciated the different relationships he has had in life was another thing I liked because it expresses the message of humility. The poems for his wife, Roberta, and that for his child represented this aspect properly, and I enjoyed them. Subtle hints like these are used to convey the intentions of the author through this book. This was a way to pass across messages that have deeper meaning, and I liked the way this book approached it.
I found it really distracting when I read this book and came across so many errors and grammatical inconsistencies. Although it was a poem and is open to unconventional styling patterns, many of these concerns were actual errors. Some verses of the poems could end with a semicolon or no punctuation at all. Also, some words could begin with a capital letter even when it was clear that that was not the beginning of a sentence or a proper noun. These things altogether made understanding some aspects of the book very difficult. These derailed my thought process as I took the time to get to understand if that was a deliberate error or not. All these combined made this book a bit difficult to read at some points.
Generally, I enjoyed the way this book had very deliberate ways of passing across its message. The author is truly a gifted artist, and I appreciate the dedication taken to craft this work. The only reason I am deducting a star is because the editing team could have done a better job cleaning up the mistakes left in this book. This leads me to rate "Untimely Shadows" four out of five stars. I would recommend this book to people who appreciate the art of words and don’t mind approaching social issues directly.
******
Untimely Shadows
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The author of this book is a man who has experienced life through many different happenings, as it shows in his writing. "Untimely Shadows" is a book of poems that this author uses to paint his own perspective so that more sets of eyes can see the world from his point of view. It reveals some truths about life, like the suffering that people in parts of the world undergo and the very deranged condition of the society in which we live today. These important points have a poetic style backing to make them artistic while still imprinting an image on readers’ imaginations.
There was a unique sense in the writing style of this book, and I liked that. It had a bit of a direct approach, yet it seemed to be done with finesse. As the author intended to impart an understanding of their own point of view, I thought this approach did a very fine job. In the chapter titled “Innocents,” for instance, the phrase “In the dark of daylight...” properly represented the idea of people successfully taking advantage of children—a thing that happens right under everyone’s noses. This apt representation carries with it layers of thought seedlings that would make a person take a step back and think about the avoidable situations that we humans put ourselves in deliberately. The fact that the author appreciated the different relationships he has had in life was another thing I liked because it expresses the message of humility. The poems for his wife, Roberta, and that for his child represented this aspect properly, and I enjoyed them. Subtle hints like these are used to convey the intentions of the author through this book. This was a way to pass across messages that have deeper meaning, and I liked the way this book approached it.
I found it really distracting when I read this book and came across so many errors and grammatical inconsistencies. Although it was a poem and is open to unconventional styling patterns, many of these concerns were actual errors. Some verses of the poems could end with a semicolon or no punctuation at all. Also, some words could begin with a capital letter even when it was clear that that was not the beginning of a sentence or a proper noun. These things altogether made understanding some aspects of the book very difficult. These derailed my thought process as I took the time to get to understand if that was a deliberate error or not. All these combined made this book a bit difficult to read at some points.
Generally, I enjoyed the way this book had very deliberate ways of passing across its message. The author is truly a gifted artist, and I appreciate the dedication taken to craft this work. The only reason I am deducting a star is because the editing team could have done a better job cleaning up the mistakes left in this book. This leads me to rate "Untimely Shadows" four out of five stars. I would recommend this book to people who appreciate the art of words and don’t mind approaching social issues directly.
******
Untimely Shadows
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Cross Intents by Scott Wells
-
Nneka Bridget
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 212
- Joined: 09 Oct 2024, 08:27
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 15
I appreciate your detailed review of "Untimely Shadows". It sounds like the poems offer a powerful perspective on important social issues. Your insights about the writing style and the author's intent make me interested in checking it out, even if the editing could have been better.
