THE MELANCHOLY LIFE OF DORIS MENNING

THE MELANCHOLY LIFE OF DORIS MENNING

R. Nikolas Macioci

ISBN: 978-93-95224-20-8

Copyright 2022, Cyberwit

Reviewed by LB Sedlacek

            This is a unique poetry book with all poems written about the day in the life of Doris Menning.  The book begins with Doris’ life as a 3rd grader and evolves from there.  We get to see the evolution of this character through poetry. 

            The poems are free verse.  They are written from Doris’ perspective with the narrator telling the story in each poem.           

            The titles are an artwork unto themselves.  They are clever and well-formed.  A good title is as much as part of a poem as the verses, lines and spaces and/or punctuation that make up each one. 

From the poem “Doris Arrives at Lakeside”:

“She knows nothing about traveling alone,

has never been on vacation without

family, but loves the idea of peering

into a pamphlet and one morning

wandering off.  She’s packed one suitcase

and an overnight bag, enough not to

be overburdened with luggage.”

The book takes us through the life of Doris from childhood to becoming a senior.  Each poem is expressive and fully carries through with a voice of its own within this main character.

Writing a themed poetry book takes skill so that each poem stays on topic while also carrying the reader through the book in a connected way.  Plus, there’s the creation of the main character within the poems.  To like this book, the reader needs to find Doris likeable and she certainly is!

These poems are compelling.  The main character is deeply developed.  She has a thick tapestry of story lines bound within each line.

This book is a candid glimpse into the life of Doris.  It is involving and evolving all at the same time. 

While the title indicates the life of Doris is simply melancholy, her life through these poems is actually riveting.  This book is full of emotion, and sheer storytelling through poetry.

~LB Sedlacek is the author of “The Poet Next Door,” “Simultaneous Submissions,” and “The Blue Eyed Side.”