Flowers Over The Bench

by Gyanindra Ali

A gaze so dreamy
that it captures my own.

A whisper so soft
that it calms my soul.

A heart so tender
that it breaks my fall.

I’ve tasted these pieces of you
and now I desire you whole.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2019

Reviews

[raafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review: http://bit.ly/FlowersAli

I applauded Gyanindra for picking various, enchanted words into his poems. Really. I loved the way he explained the feeling with differing kind of phrasing. But I have something more to it.

At first I enjoyed every of them until I realized there were not only repetitive words but also repetitive form of feelings. Various dictions don't always cause different meanings. It would do the other way around. The more you keep the readers to have the same kind of feeling for the extended amount of time, the more they will get bored.

I would suggest he mixes all of his poems so the readers would feel joined kind of feelings and keep them apart from being bored. To be honest, I admired the "Fall" part more than the "Spring" part.

At last, I liked it (exclusively the uniqueness of the physical book) but I might not hold it tight.

[Afy Zia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,4 bintang.

❝I'm proud that we are able to differentiate between 'to love' and 'to enslave'.❞ ―Flowers Over The Bench, Gyanindra Ali (not the full version)

Flowers Over The Bench menceritakan tentang manis pahit jatuh cinta. Manis pahit ini dianalogikan seperti musim: Spring yang berarti manisnya jatuh cinta, dan Fall yang berarti pahitnya jatuh cinta.

Pertama, saya mau mengapresiasi bentuk bukunya yang cukup unik dan mengingatkan saya sama buku jurnal(?). 😂 buku ini pun bisa dibilang hardcover sehingga menambah kesan yang lebih nyaman saat dipegang. Ilustrasi kovernya juga simpel tapi cakep! Oh yaa dan just in case kalian pengin tau, seluruh puisi di buku ini full berbahasa Inggris ya.

Saya cukup suka sama gaya bertutur penulis meskipun ada beberapa kata yang terasa agak repetitif. Meski begitu, beberapa puisi di buku ini berhasil bikin saya senyum-senyum sendiri kok karena manis. Pilihan katanya juga nggak berat sehingga mudah dicerna.

Tapi entah kenapa, menurut saya bagian Fall ini kayak "tenggelam" kalo dibandingkan sama bagian Spring. Tenggelam dalam artian, emosi sedihnya kurang sampai di saya. Jadi saya merasa aura Flowers Over The Bench-nya lebih didominasi oleh rasa manis (Spring). Bukan berarti saya nggak suka hal tersebut, hanya aja rasanya jadi kayak kurang seimbang(?). Menurut saya lho, yaa.

Secara keseluruhan, saya menikmati Flowers Over The Bench. Kalo kalian lagi penat dan butuh yang manis-manis, silakan baca buku ini. Bisa dibaca dalam sekali duduk juga. 😃

[sofiaidrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance, Love and Heartbreak. These things the world never gets enough of are the blood and bones of this poetry book. While reading Flowers Over The Bench, I personally embraced the experience of being reminded of that memories, like when you are so in love with someone and truly admire them just by the way they are. My cheeks hurt so much cause I couldn't stop smiling. Each poem has that kind of sweetness that will make you kick your blanket because the butterflies in your belly now are wide awake. I really like the concept of dividing the book into two seasons: Spring & Fall. This is what I didn't anticipate at first, that there is always sadness in the shadow wherever love goes. The teary moment when reading this book is beautifully painful yet heartwarming. If I can say, this book would be a perfect young-adult poetry.

[Sintia Astarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boleh jujur nggak nih? Baca buku Flowers Over the Bench karya Gyanindra berasa lagi dirayu sama puisi-puisinya yang manis. Somehow puisi buatan mereka bikin senyam-senyum sendiri. 😍😍

Meski Flowers Over the Bench mengangkat tema cinta yang itu-itu aja (ups and downs dalam suatu hubungan), pengandaian dan pemilihan katanya kreatif banget! Lalu, ritme masing-masing bait juga dijaga dan ini membuktikan bahwa perbendaharaan kosakata Gyanindra Ali sungguh inspiratif. Yaaa... meski ada beberapa kata yang digunakan berkali-kali di beberapa puisinya, plus beberapa emosi di tulisannya datar-datar aja, tapi menurutku nggak terlalu mengganggu, kok.

Ulasan lengkapnya bisa dibaca di sini yaa https://www.sintiaastarina.com/flower...

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gyanindra Ali
Flowers Over the Bench
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
120 pages
4.4

Gyanindra Ali's poem collection in Flowers Over the Bench is repetitive and tiresome. The book which elaborates the ups and downs of a relationship from a male point of view is pestered with ineloquence, questionable diction, and grammatical errors.

[Reyhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never really gotten into poetry until he wrote his second book! I know that this is his first published book, and I’m not surprised that it got picked up. I loved it. It was great. It was relatable yet emotional that gets me in some kind of way.

However, there are some grammatical errors that I noticed..

But I’ll give the rookie the benefit of the doubt.

[Sasha Zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming and honest take of the ups and downs of love. The poems invite readers to see through the author's lens. Not to mention that the book is physically enticing!

I say go get this book and save it for a rainy day. It's definitely not one to miss.

[Michael Hariri · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional roller coaster telling the story of the ups and downs of love. Takes my mind into places when I read it.

[Ardhia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and so relatable! Reading each verse in this book feels like getting a warm hug without really being hugged. I also found slashing verses that slowly lead to unbearable moans.

[Xavier Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much of a poetry person myself, but I enjoyed reading this one. Neat word choices and compelling themes. A little rough around the edges, but a good read nonetheless.

[Cikita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so much love for this one :)

[mon · Rating 4 out of 5]

some of the poems left me in awe. it's bittersweet compilation, the rhyming? is great too. i'd love to see more of it.

[hipster lemon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest advantage for me reading this book is expanding my vocabulary easily and turned out to be my favorite way to learn english more and more everyday. This book makes me fall in love with the words and imagining if someone ever had that feeling for me. It kept me hooked and procrastinate on my study but in a better way than spending time on socmed. Love it especially for a hopeless romantic like me. Thanks anggie for letting me borrow it.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this poetry book! It has a beautiful cover unlike other poetry books that I know of. My favorite poetry from this book is Love Your Freedom.