Official Review: When You Love Someone by Marcel Cole

[RachelEmmanuel]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "When You Love Someone" by Marcel Cole.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

I've always wondered what kind of woman it takes to be someone's muse. What characteristics must this person possess that she captures a man's imagination to such an extent as to immortalize her in verse and prose? Dante never forgot his boyhood love, Beatrice, immortalizing her in his masterpiece, "The Divine Comedy" even though he had only met her twice. Goethe wrote his breakthrough work, "The Sorrows of Young Werther" after being rejected by Charlotte Buff. There is a bitter-sweetness about unrequited or unrealized love that lends itself perfectly to literature, and especially to poetry.

When You Love Someone is no epic masterpiece, and its author, Marcel Cole, is definitely no Dante or Goethe. But within the rather simple, sometimes childish verses contained in this book of poetry, you can sense the same angst and suffering of a person still deeply in love. The book is a heart-cry put into words, an outlet for an anguished soul. It talks about the author's regret at not doing things the right way and his great wish to try again. It talks about the way he felt and still feels about her, and how she changed him for the better. It talks about how he is struggling to move on even though everything he sees or experiences reminds him of her.

I'll be honest. The poetry itself is far from memorable. The poem is written in rhyming couplets and there are, at times, some interesting metaphors, but for the most part, it reads like the scribblings on the last page of a 15-year-old's school notebook. At many times, while reading the book, I found myself wondering about the age of the author. The writing seems young and inexperienced, and the mother in me wanted to reach out and tell this heartbroken young man that it will all be okay. Perhaps that is why I am writing this review in a kinder light than I normally would.

It's hard to judge correctness in poetry since the rules of grammar don't apply. However, I could find no contextual or spelling errors. The book is clean; it does not contain profanity and even encourages abstinence. It is suitable for all readers.

Overall, When You Love Someone is a short book of love-poetry, written by a very sad man. In the dedication of the book, the author admits that his hope in writing the book was that someday the woman he loves would stumble across it and know what she meant to him. If that is, indeed, his goal, my rating will probably mean nothing to him. If the object of his poetry were ever to read my review, I would say to her, "you were loved much." And because it touched my heart and made me smile at the great heights and depths young love will take you, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars.

******
When You Love Someone
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Tayejim1]

Your review is very well put together. This book has such an interesting theme, I hope the author finds a way to move on. Thanks

[Phelicia Gloria]

Wow this book seems to be great, I like you review, keep it up

[TCG]

Sounds like a romantic poem. Good review.

[Kaitlyn Canedy]

I have heard this said many times- It is easy to fall in love, but it is so hard to fall out of it. I hope that the author will get the closure that he needs so he can heal and move on. Thank you for the lovely review.

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

Who knew that unrequited love would give us such amazing poetry? Thanks for the review!

[Bertha Jackson]

This sounds fascinating. Thank you for your review.

[Vivian Jabeya]

I would love to read this book. It seems like a story about a great love. Good review!

[belgardejocelyn]

It's an ok review, although it seems like the book is being made out to look a little " less than " too much. If mentioned briefly maybe at the end the sentence that starts "It is far from memorable...." But then again well layed out point that hey it's sad. Jocelyn Belgarde