Official Review: Travel in Time by Anisoara Laura Mustetiu
Posted: 06 Apr 2020, 20:14
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Travel in Time" by Anisoara Laura Mustetiu.]
The 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi, wrote: “Love is the soul's light, the taste of morning, no me, no we, no claim of being,” adding elsewhere, “Only the soul knows what love is.” Travel in Time: a life story in poems, by Anişoara Laura Musteţiu, proves that the sentiments expressed by Rumi nearly eight hundred years ago, still hold true today.
Travel in Time is a brilliantly executed collection of poetry that lays bare the heart of the poet. Written with sensitivity and a delicate touch, Musteţiu’s poems explore the various forms of love within the human experience. The book opens with the first blush of love’s promise in adolescence. It moves on to mature adult love, the loss of that love, and many more kinds of love: familial love, the love of a pet, the loss of potential love and finally, the celebration of love in life's very existence. Musteţiu’s poems show that although love always carries with it the possibility of loss, that possibility in no way diminishes the joy and beauty of the experience.
If you hear the word “poem” and your eyes immediately glaze over with nightmares of high school English while words like iambic pentameter, quatrain, epic poems, sonnets, and rhythm and rhyme make you break out into a cold sweat, Travel in Time will be a pleasant surprise. The poems are written in free verse which makes it much easier for someone unused to poetry to understand and appreciate.
One thing I particularly enjoyed about Travel in Time is that it follows a theme. So many books of self-published poetry are a mishmash of some wannabe poet’s scribblings. They are confusing and follow no clear theme. Not so with Travel in Time. This is, unapologetically, a book of love poems. Although not all of them are about romantic love, the theme is clear throughout. This makes for a clearer and more enjoyable read.
Although the book appears to have been carefully edited, there are some typos scattered throughout the book. However, these are not huge grammatical errors that would confuse the reader. They tend to be small so it is still possible to understand what the author is trying to express. I do not believe that English is Musteţiu’s native tongue. This accounts for most, if not all, of the mistakes. That said, her grasp of the English language is very good and her word-choice is refined, even elegant.
An added element I really enjoyed was the inclusion of illustrations. These were usually simple pen-and-ink drawings or, occasionally, watercolors, but the very simplicity of line and color was powerful and contributed to the richness of the reading experience.
I am very happy to give Travel in Time four out of four stars. If you are a lover of poetry, or if you’ve never really given poetry a chance but would like to try, I would encourage you to read this book. As Rumi said, “A lifetime without Love is of no account Love is the Water of Life Drink it down with heart and soul!”
******
Travel in Time
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
The 13th-century Persian poet, Rumi, wrote: “Love is the soul's light, the taste of morning, no me, no we, no claim of being,” adding elsewhere, “Only the soul knows what love is.” Travel in Time: a life story in poems, by Anişoara Laura Musteţiu, proves that the sentiments expressed by Rumi nearly eight hundred years ago, still hold true today.
Travel in Time is a brilliantly executed collection of poetry that lays bare the heart of the poet. Written with sensitivity and a delicate touch, Musteţiu’s poems explore the various forms of love within the human experience. The book opens with the first blush of love’s promise in adolescence. It moves on to mature adult love, the loss of that love, and many more kinds of love: familial love, the love of a pet, the loss of potential love and finally, the celebration of love in life's very existence. Musteţiu’s poems show that although love always carries with it the possibility of loss, that possibility in no way diminishes the joy and beauty of the experience.
If you hear the word “poem” and your eyes immediately glaze over with nightmares of high school English while words like iambic pentameter, quatrain, epic poems, sonnets, and rhythm and rhyme make you break out into a cold sweat, Travel in Time will be a pleasant surprise. The poems are written in free verse which makes it much easier for someone unused to poetry to understand and appreciate.
One thing I particularly enjoyed about Travel in Time is that it follows a theme. So many books of self-published poetry are a mishmash of some wannabe poet’s scribblings. They are confusing and follow no clear theme. Not so with Travel in Time. This is, unapologetically, a book of love poems. Although not all of them are about romantic love, the theme is clear throughout. This makes for a clearer and more enjoyable read.
Although the book appears to have been carefully edited, there are some typos scattered throughout the book. However, these are not huge grammatical errors that would confuse the reader. They tend to be small so it is still possible to understand what the author is trying to express. I do not believe that English is Musteţiu’s native tongue. This accounts for most, if not all, of the mistakes. That said, her grasp of the English language is very good and her word-choice is refined, even elegant.
An added element I really enjoyed was the inclusion of illustrations. These were usually simple pen-and-ink drawings or, occasionally, watercolors, but the very simplicity of line and color was powerful and contributed to the richness of the reading experience.
I am very happy to give Travel in Time four out of four stars. If you are a lover of poetry, or if you’ve never really given poetry a chance but would like to try, I would encourage you to read this book. As Rumi said, “A lifetime without Love is of no account Love is the Water of Life Drink it down with heart and soul!”
******
Travel in Time
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
