Review of A Collection of Poetry
Posted: 22 Aug 2021, 08:27
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Collection of Poetry" by Cheree Scott.]
I think primary or secondary school teachers taught most of us the basics of writing poems: simple rhyming schemas, rhythm, metaphors, etc. My groaning middle school peers did not want to have anything to do with poetry, and as I went on in life, a similarly low percentage of people in my circle ever really pursued metrical composition as an art form. Nevertheless, some people stick with it! One author, Cheree Scott, even went beyond practicing to compiling and sharing her works in A Collection of Poetry.
Unfortunately, the compilation had a very slow beginning. The evidence of Scott’s grammar lessons was much too evident in stanzas that desperately tried to cling to an ABAB rhyme scheme but could not keep it up and thus had an odd line out or switched to AABB in the middle without a clear reason. The same could be said for the odd timing of some of the lyrics, which did not seem to line up with the syllables of the lines around them. Therefore, I experienced a very rocky start when trying to get into the collection.
Thankfully, this pattern improved as I got further into the publication. I even found 4 pieces to vie for the spot as my favorite, though I’m pretty sure either “Graduate” or “Lover of My Soul” will win out. As evidenced by the aforementioned titles, the included poetry spanned a wide array of topics. Many of them were romantic in nature, but others discussed seasonal celebrations, symbols of hope, difficult moments, and more. I would not call A Collection of Poetry a religious compilation, but the theistic themes were strong, including several allusions to faith and some occasional mentions of God. A lot of the spirituality was intertwined with other aspects of the author’s life, which is to be expected since artists' passions tend to come out in their works. Sadly, I couldn’t tell what several of the other poems were about; my original ideas started to make less and less sense with the later lines in the poems.
There were lined pages for reflection inserted after every poem or two, and I thought that was a nice feature. The space seemed to be encouraging readers to express their own thoughts and art rather than simply consume the given poetry. The lined pages were also adorned with a lovely photo of the Eiffel Tower, though that paled in comparison to the 10 photos sprinkled throughout the book as compliments to specific poems. I especially liked the picture of the girl opposite “European Girl.”
On the other hand, I wish the editing had been a bit more up to snuff. I found nearly 10 errors among the 33 poems I read. There were multiple commas surrounded by spaces, a couple of apostrophe mishaps, and a variety of issues with mistaken word forms and mixed up terms.
Choosing a rating for A Collection of Poetry was difficult because I kept going back and forth between features that were nice and issues I had with the book. However, I ultimately did not feel much of a connection to, and did not gain much enjoyment from, the work. Since I do believe there are some redeeming qualities and that others may enjoy the collection a lot more than myself, I am rating A Collection of Poetry 2 out of 4 stars.
I believe this collection, or selections from it, could be good for students or others who are just starting to explore poetry, whether as consumers or aspiring artists. There is a mention of suicidal ideation, so that particular poem may not be suited for young readers or bookworms with sensitive dispositions.
******
A Collection of Poetry
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I think primary or secondary school teachers taught most of us the basics of writing poems: simple rhyming schemas, rhythm, metaphors, etc. My groaning middle school peers did not want to have anything to do with poetry, and as I went on in life, a similarly low percentage of people in my circle ever really pursued metrical composition as an art form. Nevertheless, some people stick with it! One author, Cheree Scott, even went beyond practicing to compiling and sharing her works in A Collection of Poetry.
Unfortunately, the compilation had a very slow beginning. The evidence of Scott’s grammar lessons was much too evident in stanzas that desperately tried to cling to an ABAB rhyme scheme but could not keep it up and thus had an odd line out or switched to AABB in the middle without a clear reason. The same could be said for the odd timing of some of the lyrics, which did not seem to line up with the syllables of the lines around them. Therefore, I experienced a very rocky start when trying to get into the collection.
Thankfully, this pattern improved as I got further into the publication. I even found 4 pieces to vie for the spot as my favorite, though I’m pretty sure either “Graduate” or “Lover of My Soul” will win out. As evidenced by the aforementioned titles, the included poetry spanned a wide array of topics. Many of them were romantic in nature, but others discussed seasonal celebrations, symbols of hope, difficult moments, and more. I would not call A Collection of Poetry a religious compilation, but the theistic themes were strong, including several allusions to faith and some occasional mentions of God. A lot of the spirituality was intertwined with other aspects of the author’s life, which is to be expected since artists' passions tend to come out in their works. Sadly, I couldn’t tell what several of the other poems were about; my original ideas started to make less and less sense with the later lines in the poems.
There were lined pages for reflection inserted after every poem or two, and I thought that was a nice feature. The space seemed to be encouraging readers to express their own thoughts and art rather than simply consume the given poetry. The lined pages were also adorned with a lovely photo of the Eiffel Tower, though that paled in comparison to the 10 photos sprinkled throughout the book as compliments to specific poems. I especially liked the picture of the girl opposite “European Girl.”
On the other hand, I wish the editing had been a bit more up to snuff. I found nearly 10 errors among the 33 poems I read. There were multiple commas surrounded by spaces, a couple of apostrophe mishaps, and a variety of issues with mistaken word forms and mixed up terms.
Choosing a rating for A Collection of Poetry was difficult because I kept going back and forth between features that were nice and issues I had with the book. However, I ultimately did not feel much of a connection to, and did not gain much enjoyment from, the work. Since I do believe there are some redeeming qualities and that others may enjoy the collection a lot more than myself, I am rating A Collection of Poetry 2 out of 4 stars.
I believe this collection, or selections from it, could be good for students or others who are just starting to explore poetry, whether as consumers or aspiring artists. There is a mention of suicidal ideation, so that particular poem may not be suited for young readers or bookworms with sensitive dispositions.
******
A Collection of Poetry
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
