Review of Contemplacion. Thoughts and Poems.

[Hager Salem]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Contemplacion. Thoughts and Poems." by Ileana Gonzalez Monserrat.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Contemplacion: Thoughts and Poems by Ileana Gonzalez Monserrat is a poetry book that has poems in English and Spanish. The poems are not translated; they were written in their original languages. The book contains short poems. The writer discusses many topics. The most significant one was overcoming what we went through. Clearly, she had a traumatizing experience, and she's fighting to overcome it. She talked about her father, who was away for many years. Clearly, that had a negative effect on her, but she didn't surrender. Also, the writer is a traveler. She's originally from Cuba, and she's traveled to many places. She wrote poems about the places she loved. She wrote about America and its privileges. In addition, there were a couple of poems about beautiful cities she loved in Turkey.

The writer used clear and comprehensible words in her poetry. I love that. I don't like it when people use more complicated words that add to the complexity of poetry itself. I liked the fighting spirit I could see in the writer. Clearly, she has gone through a lot, but she encourages standing up and moving on. I liked the personal photos of the writer that were included, and I may go further to say I liked the house and the view.

There is nothing to hate in the book. The idea of mixing English and Spanish poems was new and appealing. I don't speak Spanish, and I completely enjoyed the book. I believe the writer had a point of view in this mixture. There were many pages that had two poems in each of the two languages. I envy people who speak English and Spanish for digesting the whole experience.

"Poetry is the voice of our collective soul." This is what the writer said. I totally agree. Good poetry can be that and more. I enjoyed the English part of the book. I liked that it was clear and encouraging. Therefore, I rate the book five out of five stars. In addition, the book received professional editing. I didn't notice any errors going through its pages.

I recommend the book to people who love poetry. Also, people who speak English and Spanish will get the most out of the experience, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it if you only speak one of them. I also recommend the book to people who would like to gain some strength and inspiration on how to overcome life's hardships.

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Contemplacion. Thoughts and Poems.
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Elina Tshabalala]

This book provides an opportunity for one to learn another language. How fun! Thanks for the review

[Sia_young]

This book contains poems written in two languages. I don't speak Spanish, so I can't wait to experience reading in Spanish for the first time. Good job on the review.
Congratulations to the author on BOTD!

[Leen282]

Interesting choice to mix two languages in one book. I believe poetry is the right type of book for this.
Kudos on the author sharing her experiences, the hardship overcome, the beauty of cities she loved.

[Chitra Ayengar]

I have always loved Spanish although I don't know much and can't understand it completely I would love to read the poetry collection. The review claims it is enough if we know English we can understand the context. Would love to read this book.

[sanjeev1]

Hi there! It sounds like "Contemplacion: Thoughts and Poems" by Ileana Gonzalez Monserrat is a truly inspiring and beautifully written collection. It's wonderful to hear that the mix of English and Spanish poems adds a unique and appealing dimension to the book. The writer's personal experiences and her fighting spirit shine through in her poetry, making it relatable and encouraging for readers. The inclusion of personal photos also adds a special touch to the book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it—I'll definitely consider giving it a read based on your recommendation!

[Kooex007]

The parental effect on kids sometimes affect a child life both negatively and positively
In the book contemplacion describe how a young girl missed the fatherly role in her life , the good thing is that she didn't surrender to the trauma and won the battle

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

A book full of inspiring poetry. Wistful, personal, poetry which conveys so much of herself. She uses gentle and creative words such as ‘rainbow’, ‘blessing’, ‘happiness’, with no profanity, obscenity or distressing images, and all this is soothing to the soul.

[Neha Panikar]

Poetry that is romantic, heartfelt or tragic is something that I'm used to, but poetry that is inspiring is new for me, so I'm glad it can expand my genre. Also glad it can be enjoyed by English-speaking readers who don't speak Spanish. Thankyou for the review!!!

[Tithi Das 1]

The thought of writing the book in two languages encourage the author to craft her own notion in the book through poem which abet us to read and ardor. I appreciate the reviewer who finely stated the positive review about the poetry of author.

[Hazel Arnaiz]

The book is a collection of English and Spanish poems. The author's free verse poems reflect on love, politics, writing, and travel experiences.

[Amy Luman]

I don’t really enjoy poetry. I think it’s because I like for the meaning to be easily understood. I mostly read to be entertained and poems don’t do that. I am glad that Ms. Monserrat found a way to express herself, though. Congratulations on BOTD!

[Ruth Andanje]

I love Spanish and I have been taking lessons on it, so reading this book would help a lot with studying the language effectively and also brush up on my poetry skills, plus I feel as though I am starting to really enjoy poetry books. I might give this one a chance. Lovely review by the way.

[Orji cyril Kaluokoro]

Ileana Gonzalez Monserrat's multilingual poetry collection "Contemplacion: Thoughts and Poems" focuses on a variety of themes like resilience, travel, and personal growth. It features unique pieces in both Spanish and English, and is actually intriguing for those who know both languages. Monserrat explores a variety of topics in her poetry, such as the effects of her father's protracted absence and her Cuban background. She inspires readers to face life's obstacles head-on by sharing a message of resilience and endurance through her readable and understandable writing. Personal images are incorporated into the story to enhance its depth and accentuate the emotional content of the poems. Monserrat's choice to leave the poems untranslated enhances the book's appeal by allowing bilingual readers to have a singular experience and encouraging monolingual readers to value the interaction between languages.

[Jenna Padayachee]

Thank you for your well expressed review.
Sounds like an interesting compilation of " Thoughts and Poems" . It is amazing that the writer could express this both in English and Spanish.
Congratulations to the author!