Review of The Journey We Take

[Ivana Tomaš]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Journey We Take" by Carter Colton.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Journey We Take by Carter Colton is a collection of poems that depicts people's inner states and experiences today. It is divided into four main parts that are thematically associated with the mind, soul, eyes, and heart. In the poems, the author describes certain situations and difficulties that many find themselves in but also gives words of encouragement. Most of the verses are imbued with metaphors and similes; the author's expressions are lyrical, harmonious, and rich in rhymes.

I rarely like a collection of poems, and this is one of those rare situations. Almost every poem is infused with lyrical descriptions and emotional experiences, which the poet conveys with a clever selection of metaphors and motifs. First of all, I appreciate the division of the book into four main parts. In the first part, the poet touches on the mind and its complexity. Here, I particularly liked the association of the mind with the volcano; the state of mind and its uncertainty, especially in mentally ill people, is similar to the combustions and eruptions of volcanoes. In addition, I appreciate that the author portrays certain mental illnesses, such as OCD and Tourette's syndrome, and dedicates separate poems to them. In the second part, the author writes about the soul. What I enjoyed most here was the continuous emphasis on the importance of hope. In this section, I would emphasize the poem "Life's Cash Register," which questions what it would be like if life could be paid for with time; the verses make us wonder about what is important in life. Another poem in this section that I relish is "Light the World," in which the author encourages us to live a positive and fulfilling life and to touch others with our kindness and cheerfulness. In the third part of the book, emphasis is placed on a new perspective, that is, on removing the so-called blindfold. The author stresses that not everything is as it appears, and the poem that excellently shows this is "Veil of Normalcy." The fourth part of the collection is connected to the heart and the importance of emotions and experiencing everything associated with love.

There is almost nothing in the book that I did not like. In addition, I could identify with numerous verses and deeply experience certain emotions, which I believe was the poet's intention. However, on the other hand, a couple of poems in the book simply didn't sit well with me. There aren't many of them, but I think it's practically impossible that everyone will like every poem and every verse. In addition, I must stress that I did not encounter any grammatical errors, which speaks of the excellent quality of the editing.

All things considered, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The rating is not flawless because the book contains some poems that I did not like, and some were boring or incomprehensible.

I would recommend the book primarily to all lovers of poetry and philosophical topics. I also think this poetry collection would appeal to many who struggle with internal battles and those who like to hear words of encouragement in literature.

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The Journey We Take
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[John Kingsley Ken]

Poetry is one of the melodious way of communicating with the mind, soul, eyes and heart, Great review.

[Elina Tshabalala]

Sounds like this collection is worth checking out. Thanks for the recommendation.