Welcome to my Sunday book review. Today I’m reviewing Pebbles to Poems by Frank Prem. This book is a beautiful little prequel to some of Frank’s various works. If you aren’t familiar with Frank’s interesting styles of poetry and story-telling, this book is a perfect way to taste his work.
Blurb:
Pebbles to Poems is a sample pack of Frank Prem’s free-verse poetry and storytelling published between 2018 and 2020. Extracts from six collections, ranging through memoir, and wildfire though to contemporary love poetry.
Small Town Kid – growing up in a rural Australian town during the 1960s and 70s.
Devil In The Wind – the stories of victims and survivors of the 2009 Black Saturday wildfires in Australia.
The New Asylum – an experience of public psychiatry in Australia, from childhood roaming the mental hospital grounds, through student psychiatric nursing and on to managing acute wards and patients.
A Love Poetry Trilogy:
Walk Away Silver Heart – derived from the Amy Lowell poem ‘Madonna of the Evening Flowers’.
A Kiss for the Worthy – derived from the Walt Whitman poem ‘Leaves of Grass’.
Rescue and Redemption – derived from the T. S. Eliot poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’.
This is poetry that is meant to be read on the page and aloud, as well. Poetry the way you always wished it could be written.
My 5 Star Review:
This book is a delicious sampling of extracts from some of the works of Frank Prem. The first collections are written in personal memoir style, poetic reflections of growing up in rural Australia in the 1960s and 70s from his book – Small Town Kid. Prem shares in his poetic anthology about his personal experiences with the 2009 wildfires in Australia in his book – Devil in the Wind. And more experience shared from his background in working in a mental asylum, and then as a nurse in the public mental health system, offering a taste of his poetic telling from his book, The New Asylum. These stories are exposés of life through the eyes and experience of Prem and the public psychiatric system, spanning five decades as Prem shares some of the shenanigans that went on, giving us a glimpse of life in the public psychiatric system, written in the style we’ve come to know from Prem, with his free-verse poetry.
In the last part of this book, Prem revisits some of his beautiful poetry from his love trilogy and shares snippets from the three-book collection – Walk Away Silver Heart, Rescue and Redemption, and A Kiss for the Worthy, a personal collection of love poems with lines taken from various reknowned authors, converted into Prem’s own self tellings with his unique form of poetry.
If you enjoy personal poetry and memoir written in poetic style, you are sure to get hooked on Prem’s writing as he breathes new life into both, old styled and new poetry.
Below are links to three reviews I previously wrote for Frank’s Love Trilogy:
A Kiss for the Worthy – https://dgkayewriter.wordpress.com/sunday-book-review-a-kiss-for-the-worthy-by-frank-prem-poetry/
Rescue and Redemption – https://dgkayewriter.wordpress.com/sunday-book-review/
Walk Away Silver Heart – https://dgkayewriter.wordpress.com/sunday-book-review-walk-away-silver-heart-poetry-frank-prem/
©DGKaye2020
Hi Debby, It is wonderful to see Frank’s new book reviewed here – and what a wonderful review.
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Thanks Toni 🙂 xx
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Thank you, Toni.
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Sounds a lovely book. I must check this one out. x
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Great Stevie! xx
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Thank you, Stevie. Hope you enjoy it if you grab a copy. It’s still free at Smashwords.
Cheers,
Frank
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Thanks for sharing your review Debby, having read Frank’s previous collections I am sure the book is lovely.. I will use your review for Frank’s new book promo in a week or so’s time…♥♥
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Thanks so much Sal. Another lovely book by Frank ❤
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Thanks so much, Sally. Your support is quite wonderful.
Frank
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Fabulous review Deb, you are a poetry lover too! I am delighted that you have reviewed all the poetry books of Frank. Wishing him great success.
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Thank you Balroop. I’m far from a pro, but I do like to dabble. 🙂
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Thank you, Balroop. 🙂
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What a lovely review, Sis. I like where Frank has gone with these books. I enjoyed this book, as well. ❤
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Thanks Sis. I really enjoy Frank’s poetry ❤
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Thank you, Colleen. 🙂
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A lovely review of Frank’s poetry book, Debby. I also enjoy his poetry very much and have A Kiss for the Worthy on my kindle as well as his new children’s bear book.
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Thanks Robbie. I’m sure you will enjoy 🙂
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Thank you, Robbie. It’s wonderful to have your support. I’m very grateful.
Frnak
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My favorite type of poetry: poems that tell as story. Frank Prem’s Pebbles to Poems seems like a good way to get a sampling of this poet’s work. Thank you, Debby!
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That’s it Marian – poems that tell a story. Probably why I get so taken in by them too. 🙂 x
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Thank you, Debby, for a wonderful review of Pebbles to Poems.
The book was a pleasure to create and I’m truly delighted you enjoyed it.
Thank you, again,
Frank
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You are most welcome Frank. Your work is a pleasure to read. 🙂
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Debby, what a wonderful review for Frank’s new book ‘ Pebbles to Poems’. I will add this to my TBR list. Thank you, Debby and Frank. ❤
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Happy to enlighten you Jane ❤
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All the world loves a poet! I enjoyed this immensely!
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Thank you Claire. I’m enjoying Little Tea now 🙂
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Ohhh a dive into the life in the public psychiatric system would be eye-opening, I’m sure! Great review and glad to know about this book from Frank, Debby.
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My pleasure Christy. I’ve read quite a few by Frank and look forward to reading that one too. ❤
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How interesting that Frank took a sampling from his other collections to create this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Walk Away Silver Heart and have been wanting to pick up A Kiss for the Worthy and Rescue and Redemption. He’s a wonderful poet. Thanks for sharing your review, Debby. 🙂
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Thanks Diana. I agree. Frank has a unique style with his poetry I enjoy very much. ❤
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Hi Debby,
I’m hooked just from reading your wonderful review. I’ll definitely add Frank’s book to my home library. Thank you for sharing. It sounds like an evocative and beautiful collection.
Have a wonderful day, Lauren 💗💗
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Hi Lauren. Wonderful. I’m always happy to share beautiful books. Enjoy! ❤
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This sounds like a great introduction to the author’s poems. Having worked in psychiatry in the UK for a few years, I’m intrigued by that part of the book. Thanks for the review and the recommendation, Debby.
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Thanks Olga. Yes, now I must read Frank’s New Asylum soon! ❤
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