Review of The Emanule9

[Lauren Victoria]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Emanule9" by Richard Shine.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Emanule9 by Richard Shine is a collection of short stories that talks about the author’s struggles in life. I enjoyed the pace of the book; each page was a different poem, but I did wish I had more background from the author. If the poems were in chronological order or if there was any order at all. I found myself trying to piece together their lives but unsure if I was doing it correctly. 

Poetry is subjective because the author can write it in a particular mindset, yet the reader will use their own life experiences to pull emotions out of the words. There is a fine line between writing poetry for yourself and writing it to try and help others, which was what the author said was their goal with this read. 

There were a lot of feelings in Shine's words, and I commend them for giving a piece of themselves to the work. There was a general theme of struggling within yourself and suffering every day. I think there was a lot of relatable content in these poems. Topics like poverty and drug addiction as well as struggles with race and identity. 

Some of my favorites were "The Name is Sunshine" and "Rainbow." Which showed some of the lighter days mixed in with all the struggles, which created a juxtaposition in the set of poems that I enjoyed. 

I had to deduct from my rating because I believe it would've been beneficial to have some blurb at the end or the beginning. Something to guide the reader a little bit more so that we can get more out of the collection of short stories, but other than that, there was nothing else I would change about the read. I recommend this read to anyone struggling with any of the topics in this book; while dark at times, it is enlightening. It was very well written, and I found no errors in my readthrough thanks to some exceptional editing work. For all these reasons above, I rate this book four out of five stars.

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The Emanule9
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[Yin Jiang]

I don't normally read poetry or short stories, but your review is convincing me that I should give this book a try. I like that it is relatable. Thank you for your review!

[Mary John 10]

"The Emanule9" by Richard Shine is a poignant collection of short stories and poems reflecting the author's struggles, though its lack of chronological order may leave readers piecing together the narrative. Despite this, it offers a powerful, emotionally resonant experience, with the author aiming to help others through their personal reflections.