Official Review: Take a Walk with Me by Caroline Street

[Azeline Arcenal]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Take a Walk with Me" by Caroline Street.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Take a Walk with Me, by Caroline Street, is filled with paintings, photographs, and poetry. Composed of 41 poems, the poems cover a broad range of subjects that range from environmental issues to daily struggles in life.

The first poem describes the rhinos and how the poaching crisis negatively affects them. Other poems describe animals in their natural habitats, like the water buffalos, who have been negatively affected by nature and not humans. Besides animals, there are poems vividly describe the landscape of Africa as well as the clouds or the sunset. One poem mentioned the vibrancy and beauty of the park behind the author’s home. There are also poems that describe the beauty of flowers, like the magnolias, and the significance of the color of a rose. Additionally, there are a lot more poems that go on a deeper and spiritual level that surround topics on death, friendships, and the author’s personal musings. There is a poem that describes how some friends aren't really your friends because of the way they may act toward you.

From landscapes to wildlife, each poem was accompanied by either a painting done by the author or one of her photographs. The paintings or photographs numbered from one to many and covered either one side of the page or the entire page. I thought this added a unique and creative twist to the book, and it was also what I liked the most about this book. Some of the poems also included quotes that were either by the author or were from the Bible. One of her poems had bible quotes inserted as part of the poem, which I thought was distinctive. Furthermore, the poems varied in length, ranging from a few verses to a little more than a page, and in style with some containing different rhyming patterns, while others were written in free verse.

Moreover, the subjects behind some of the poems were serious, while other poems were light-hearted. For example, the darker poems described the poaching crisis of rhinos and the death of a child, while the light-hearted poems were about a cat and a lizard. Since the author is from South Africa, she included poems about her homeland and the wildlife inhabiting it. She also included poems about how she gets her inspirations as an artist as well as the difficulties she comes across when painting or writing. The spiritual nature of some of her poems are inspiring, and most of her poems are reflective and reminiscent, like in her poems about a swing and a tombstone.

Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the various topics of each poem and the pictures or photographs that accompanied them. I even learned a few new words like proclivity and treacle. Also, I came across a punctuation error, but besides that, this book was refreshingly clear of any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading poetry about nature and spiritual subjects.

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Take a Walk with Me
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Like ZenaLei7's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Rose Harebate]

I am not a fan of poems as I sometimes find them difficult to translate. However, I like the fact that the ones in this book discuss environmental issues and daily struggles in life. Thanks for a great review.

[kandscreeley]

It's sad that in this modern day and age, poaching is still such a problem. Poetry isn't my cup of tea, but I really should try it again. With the range of subjects in this one, it seems like it would be a good one to start with, especially with the rating you give it. Thanks.

[InStoree]

I love Africa. This book will take me on a safari tour through the wildness. I surely have a glimpse in my eye. Thanks for your review!

[Deeyf]

Thank you for your thorough review. It made the stories behind the poems sound intriguing even though I haven't read it yet.

[Sandra K Pearson]

Its's interesting how there are pictures next to the poems. I've never been into poetry but I'll have to give this one a try.