Book Review: Kaleidoscope by Rachna Gupta

About the Book/Book blurb:

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Authorspress (2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8172739648
• ISBN-13: 978-8172739645

"Every beating heart will confess that once, at least once in their lifetime they were in love."


The collection of poems in this book talks about an emotion so strong that it has the potential to create and destroy! Love in all its capacity has that aura around it; it needs to be felt and when it resides in your soul you find it giving rise to feelings never experienced before. There is passion and tenderness when being together, estrangement and pain when two souls are apart and then there is joy and relief when bound together again. The 37 poems in this book talk about this amazing feeling as seen through my eyes and felt in my heart!

About the Author:

In an interview on the blog of Patridge India (the publisher), she describes herself as under, "I am Rachna Gupta, a small-town girl who moved to Pune 12 years ago. An educationist by profession, writing is something that has always interested me. While teaching English, I always encouraged the children to be creative and express their feelings through different mediums like writing, art and drama. There is nothing more magical than using words to create something new!"

My Review:

This book of poetry has pieces on the theme of love. It is indeed a special book. There are themes hovering around love: the endearment, the affection, the betrayal, the passion, joy, relief. For those of you who have been in love or even had a remote crush, this book might echo some relatable parts. 

I especially liked, "On my mind"

So I present an excerpt

"And evoke inspirational images

That speak to me

While you watch me

Turn them into words

That people will read!"

Just like any pieces of poetry the poems are open to interpretation and I interpret it as also encompassing selflove, the highest form of love there is. It also talks about heartbreak and finding happiness in darkness. The good thing is that it talks about all the changing colors of love and that sets it apart. It doesn't paint an entirely gloomy picture nor does it make it look absolutely rosy. It lays the emotional live in its unaltered and bare form, as it is.
I think if flipping through the pages of a poetry book and skimming through the pieces can make you feel relieved then the book has passed the litmus test. This one surely did.

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I thank the author for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review. 

Book Review: Myriad Hues by Rachna Gupta

About the Book/Book blurb:

To me writing is a companion, a shadow that has always been there for me. In good days and bad, nothing has cheered me up as much as putting my thoughts on paper. I have cried while writing some poems and I have also smiled, thinking about the happy thoughts that bring out the words of euphoria in my writing. "Myriad Hues" is as much about me and my life as yours; the feelings that I have spoken about are universal. We all feel because our emotions are the same, despite the fact that the situation occurs at different times. My work is also about nature; this wonderful creation that we have been bestowed with! It's about nurturing our environment and caring about it. And yes, my poems are about the omnipresent God and my conversations and encounters with Him.

About the Author:

In an interview on the blog of Patridge India (the publisher), she describes herself as under, "I am Rachna Gupta, a small-town girl who moved to Pune 12 years ago. An educationist by profession, writing is something that has always interested me. While teaching English, I always encouraged the children to be creative and express their feelings through different mediums like writing, art and drama. There is nothing more magical than using words to create something new!"

My Review:

What are we looking at? Myriad Hues is a collection of sweet and simple poems by a single poet. The themes chosen are such that they delve deeper into the otherwise superficial aspects of life and living.
Poetry reading (and writing) is for those who have a way with words, and those who relish the experience of so many emotions in a few lines. Not to mention, how poetry is often open, sometimes wholly to interpretation while at others open for the reader to devour it and relate the lines to his/her own life and experiences.

Now this book, a compilation of 28 poems, is meaningful. Meaningful and intense describes it best.

Some poetry books for review in my mail. #poetry #books #bookish #bookstagram #bibliophile #instapic #shoutout #myriad...
Posted by So many books, So little time. on Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Here's a meticulous dissection:
Yay: There are some pieces I really liked for different reasons.
There is a piece called 'Innocence'. It is a sweet, succinct poetry to denote the actions of kids who are not maligned yet by the ways of the world. But again, open to interpretation, it is so many more things. It shows a girl seeking attention, so maybe the adults are not attentive enough. Maybe it is even more and deep as I make it out to be.

One very special mention goes to the poem titled 'Mood Swings'. It is a short piece, and yet it captures the theme so, so well. The abruptness, the lyrical quality and the scene created- all add up to make the poem give us emotional shivers.
Other pieces I liked were: My birthplace, Revenge, Mistake, Trepidation. My Birthplace has a reminiscent essence at its core, & Mistake is a commentary on the gender situation at the most basic level: in families. Trepidation has a charm of its own which made me like it instantly. The endearing, chirpy and enthusiastic tone also helped in the case of Trepidation.

Nay: I did find the style repetitive. It does not end the stanzas with rhyming pairs. At least not for a major part of the poem. However, I personally relish the use of rhyme as long as it isn't kiddish. Safe to say, I would have loved the poetry if I it had this element as dominantly as it had emotions interwoven.

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I thank the author for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review.