Review of Long Falling Light

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Long Falling Light" by Mark Louis Lehman.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Long Falling Light by Mark Louis Lehman is a collection of poems written by the author from 1965 to 2020. The author divided the book into three parts according to the years he wrote the poems: 1965 to 1980, 1981 to 2000, and 2001 to 2020. There are a few cheeky poems with sexual innuendos. Other themes include the fickleness of life, the certainty of death, and climate change. The author’s fascination with women, love, and deep reflection is also apparent. There are poems here that will make you stop and think, others that will make you chuckle, and many poems that celebrate love and are fit to be sung to a loved one. Readers who like poetry, no matter the type, should have this book on their bookshelf; this multi-themed poetry collection has something for everyone.

As expected, the poems in the first part, written when the author was much younger, were amateur ones and often had no rhyme or rhythm. But what the author lacked in skill then, he made up for in wit. Even the cringe-worthy sexual innuendos managed to make me laugh. Observant readers will note for themselves the author’s skill in wordplay, which I thought added another layer of excitement to the poems. For one, determining the hidden meaning in the lines, “Of dancing forks, And teasing spoons,” in the poem titled To His Goy Mistress was scandalous!

In later poems, the author’s style seemed more confident and introspective, with some of the poems having great rhythm and rhyme. I particularly enjoyed By the Sea and was able to sing it like a song, which I found delightful. By the third part, I found many poems that resonated with me. In addition to the witty and cheeky poems, Lehman also addressed some important themes that helped broaden my understanding. As a senior citizen in his 70s, it is understandable that Lehman sees death and life differently, and his wisdom showed in his words. Such meaningful poems gave more depth and texture to the overall quality of the book.

The author gave glimpses of his life and his family members. The poems addressed to his wife, Sherri Ann, were among my favorites. Readers who are looking for beautiful words to tell their beloved will also appreciate them. In Family Joke, even though the author probably did not mean to teach a lesson, I learned about racial tolerance from reading about his great grandparents. The author’s use of metaphor in some poems made it a little difficult to decipher their meaning. But he provided a comprehensive, brief analysis of a few poems at the end. By putting it at the end, his explanation did not interfere with my interpretation, and I could compare his explanation with the meaning I drew from the poems, which was fun.

While I enjoyed most of the poems, I found a handful of poems indecipherable because of how disjointed they seemed. For one, Nine Proverbs Explained did not speak to me on any level. And I wondered why the author used bullet points after every line in Sorrows of My People. As an exceptionally edited book, 3 out of 4 stars is fair because, while many poems are relatable, funny, and introspective, some others did not hit the right spot for me.

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Long Falling Light
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[Amenrodion]

I love poems

[Mildred Echesa]

Poems seem to be the best. I will try it out

[Pauls_]

Poems are therapeutic. I would love to read this interesting combination. Thanks for the review.

[Alice Fu]

Thank you so much for writing this review! Based on what I can tell, this collection of poems leads to an intriguing insight into the life of the author. I always appreciate going through tales directly inspired by the life of other authors, I feel like that's the best way to develop my own work as well as gain insight into how to approach different situations based on other people's experiences. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this collection of poetry and I definitely will be checking the book out.

[Eva Nikolovska]

This is one of the best books ive read to be honest.i read aloot of books in my free time and this is by far the best.