Circle of Life by Orna Ross

 Circle of Life

 by Orna Ross

Circle of Life by Orna Ross was published in 2022. My thanks to the author for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Overview

Circle of Life is the fourth book in the 12 Poems to Inspire series, a range of gift-books for festivals like Valentine’s Day and Christmas, as well as milestones we all experience, including loss and new beginnings. Circle of Life celebrates Mother’s Day—and caregiving all year round.

These twelve poems celebrate the incredible privilege and emotional rollercoaster of caring for others, while encouraging us to rejoice in our gifts we receive from protecting those in our care.

In accessible, sometimes conversational, language the poet draws from her own experience of motherhood, marriage and friendship, and the wisdom of philosophies that explain how we have all been mothered into being. And how we continue to be nurtured by Mother Earth and the creative spirit that animates all.

The poems in this collection are written to be reread often. Reflecting on their wisdom, the reader finds comfort in the tender but powerful nature of inspirational poetry, which itself offers the nurturing care that these poems celebrate.

Split into three sections: Beginnings, Leavings, and Returnings, each poem is spectacularly illustrated by pictures the poet co-created with the AI artist app, Dream.

All of this adds depth and resonance to this short book, making it a gift full of value and meaning, for oneself or another.

A thoughtful gift for mothers on Mother’s Day—or anytime for any caregiver.

My Review

This is a lovely collection of twelve poems for Mothers and Carers. You could easily read through these poems in a few minutes, however, I urge you not to and take your time over each individual poem. Think about what it says, think about the memories it evokes, or how it may allow you to look at some aspect of your life and what is around us from a different perspective.

I absolutely loved this collection of poems and found them very thought provoking and often very moving, especially "Lost and Found" which isn't an easy poem to read.

An added bonus to the poems are the illustrations which are beautiful and intriguing in their own right, as well as enhancing the poems.

The collection really does get you thinking about motherhood and caring and all that it entails and would make a lovely gift.

About the Author

Orna Ross is an award-winning historical novelist, poet, and founder-director of the global non-profit for self-publishing writers, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).

An international bestseller, she enjoys book sales in 120+ countries worldwide and her awards include the Goethe Historical Fiction Grand Prize Award for fiction, Gold Literary Titan award for poetry, the Romantic Novelists Association's Indie Champion Award, The Writers' Digest's Top Websites for Writers, and The Bookseller's Top 100 people in publishing.

In what she describes as “the best move of my writing life”, Orna took her book rights back from her publishers in 2011. The experience has made her a passionate advocate for the commercial and creative empowerment of authors through self-publishing and selective rights licensing.

Orna Ross is a self-publishing literary novelist and poet and, as founder-director of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), an advocate for other indie authors.