Review of In Other Words

[Ivana Tomaš]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "In Other Words" by Johan G Tengstrom.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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People face different situations every day. Some moments are beautiful, some are not, and some are particularly notable. What sets artists apart from other people is that they try to capture such moments in different ways. In Other Words by Johan G. Tengstrom is a collection of poems in which the author comments on various life situations.

This relatively short book consists of poems with a variety of themes. The author talks about love, old friends, certain childhood events, crime, technology, understanding, children, fun, forgiveness, the concept of time, and much more. Tengstrom gives his reflections and comments on almost every aspect of life. The writing style in this book is quite similar to the concept of stream of consciousness. The author contemplates various things and situations that are not necessarily linked to each other and gives comments on them.

What I like most about this collection are poems with themes about love. In them, the author skillfully describes the feelings of love, excitement, and longing. I especially like the poem "True Love," in which the author perfectly describes the state of love. On the other hand, the poem "My Old Friends" evoked in me feelings of nostalgia for the old school days. I also like the poems in which the author comments on seemingly random things from everyday life and admires them, like flowers and children's play. Also, most of the words rhyme, which gives extra uniqueness and melody to the whole book. Although some poems are written in free verse, most have a more formal structure. However, I would say that the collection is well organized as far as the structure itself is concerned.

Unfortunately, this book also has some negative aspects, at least in my opinion. Primarily, I think the range of topics in this book is too exhaustive and that the author should have focused on a somewhat narrower range of topics. It would also be good if the topics were more related on some basis. Secondly, I didn't like the way the author portrayed the interests of girls and boys in the poem "A Matter Of Preference." In this poem, gender stereotypes are noticeable, according to which girls love dolls and boys love kites.

All in all, I give this collection of poems 3 out of 4 stars. The rating would probably have been higher if the author had focused on a narrower range of topics and given his comments and thoughts on them. On the other hand, I came across only one error in the book, so I can conclude that it was professionally edited. I would recommend this book primarily to those who like to read poetry but also to lovers of philosophy.

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In Other Words
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[Ghuddie]

Lovers of poetry and philosophy will enjoy this one. It is always a great time reading poems on different themes. Great review.

[Hussein21]

This sound like a book one can read during one leisure time. I love poems and I am eager to find out what prompted the poet to write about lot of themes

[Aisha Yakub]

Poetry is always a delight. Thank you for your review

[Ratezanu Andrada]

the poems in this book have pleasantly changed my perception of the world

[Purplesturv]

A collection of short poems with varying themes is a great way to get through the day. Thanks for your insightful review