Official Review: If Music be the Food of Love, Play on

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Juliana_Isabella
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Official Review: If Music be the Food of Love, Play on

Post by Juliana_Isabella »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "If Music be the Food of Love, Play on" by Nicola Ward.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On by Nicola Ward is a short book of poems reflecting on infatuation, unrequited love, and relationships. The author writes in the first and second person, often addressing the subject of her love. She includes poems about both requited and unrequited love, and she is unashamed of the emotions that the described man brings out in her. Most of the poems rhyme, but the rhyme scheme may vary within a single poem, and there are many different rhyme schemes included in the book. Others do not rhyme, such as the set of three haikus.

My favorite part of this book is how open and honest the author is. She speaks about failed dates, the moment when you realize you love someone, and being too late in telling someone that you’ve fallen for them. She doesn’t try to hide embarrassing thoughts or feelings, and I think most people can relate to how she feels. There’s also a wide variety of poems written about being in good and bad relationships and about the thoughts and emotions that lead up to relationships or occur after a relationship has ended. This means that there’s something for everyone because people in all stages of relationships will see poems that reflect their experiences.

My only criticism of the book is that I found a few editorial mistakes, but I wouldn’t say that it was enough to make me think the book wasn’t professionally edited. The pages are formatted appropriately for poetry, and the mistakes I found could be easily overlooked by both author and editor.

Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I love the author’s honest and open way of writing, and the variety of subject matter and rhyme scheme should keep every kind of reader engaged. Despite finding a few mistakes, I would say the book appears to be professionally edited.

I would recommend this book for mature readers in all stages of life. There is no inappropriate language, and the themes covered in the book would technically be alright for young readers, but they probably wouldn’t be able to relate to the author’s experiences if they’ve never been in a serious relationship. Because of this, I think the book is best suited for adults who have previously been or are in relationships and who are looking for engaging poetry that they can connect to emotionally.

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If Music be the Food of Love, Play on
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

If I'm going to read poetry, I appreciate having different forms included. However, it's really not something I gravitate towards. The subject, while I enjoy a healthy marriage, isn't something I'm particularly fond of reading about either. Therefore, I don't think I'll pick this one up. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though. Thanks.
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Wyland
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Post by Wyland »

Looks like a nice batch of love poems I would like to read more about. Thanks for your wonderful review.
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