Parts of Me: Lost and Found by Cisel Ozbay – Poetry Book Review

Today, I'm featuring one of my really late and overdue book reviews. I first received a copy of Lost and Found from its author Cisel Ozbay in March 2021 and I did read the book a month later. But 2021 was the year of book blogger's block for me and I couldn't write any reviews for months on end. 

So without further ado, here's the book synopsis followed by my review for Cisel Ozbay's Lost and Found, a poetry collection featuring 71 short, free-verse poems.  

Synopsis:

Lost and Found is a poetry book which contains a compilation of short philosophical poems. The book attempts to capture the author's personal journey: all the ways she has lost herself and the lessons that she has found in doing so.

The author deploys a simple writing style, as she believes a lot can be expressed by saying little. This is a deeply meaningful book with many ideas relating to the human experience.

Book Review of Parts of Me: Lost and Found

 

Parts of Me: Lost and Found opens with “Find,” which is something many people talk about today. It's short and Ozbey says a lot in a few words. 

“To be yourself, you need to find yourself.

And that is all life really is –

Finding yourself.”

“All” is one of the longer pieces in the collection but one of the most beautiful. It’s personal and emotional. Similarly, “Heavy” is a long, dark, and personal piece that I enjoyed.

“Futile” hit home for me because it reminds me of someone who doesn’t see the futility of their ‘lack of efforts’ or the they’re going about their work.

The poem “Contrast” is a good read but it didn’t feel poetic to me. And there were a few poems that were vague to me such as “Ash,” “Consciousness,” among others.

Some of the pieces in Lost and Found read like thoughts, ideas, and quotes. Many pieces had ‘big words’ you normally wouldn’t see in a poem, while others had really formal language. It was the first time for me to see ‘Firstly’ and ‘secondly’ in a poem!

Overall rating for Parts of Me: Lost and Found by Cisel Ozbay: 3 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of Parts of Me: Lost and Found from its author Cisel Ozbay in exchange for an honest review. This did not in any way affect my review.

Note 2: The collection is written in British English.

About the Author:

Cisel Ozbay is an author from London who began writing during her time at university in Aberdeen. She was inspired by her own life experiences and the turbulent times in her life.

Acknowledging the benefits of writing on her own self growth she now writes regularly. Her Parts Of Me: From Me to You, and Parts Of Me: Lost of Found books contain poems written during this same period in her life.

Connect with Cisel and read more of her poetry via Instagram.