Presents from the Past: Nostalgic and wistful – new humour-infused poetry anthology makes the perfect rose-tinted spectacle read.
Elliot
Stanton's Presents from the Past takes a light-hearted and sentimental
trip down memory lane as he shares fifty poems that have milestones and those
all-important smaller moments from his life at their heart.
My Review
I
enjoyed reading these poems and they did indeed take me down a nostalgic path.
While I wasn’t as keen on the poems about attending football matches and collecting
football stickers, I favoured the poems about sweet snacks and candy from the
old days (1980s and 1990s), the reminiscence of computer games, VHS, taping
songs from the radio and all those little things we did as children. This book
certainly appeals to the older age group, 40 and up. I really liked a short
poem called Coins from a Bygone Europe, with a clever little twist at
the end. There is humour and nostalgia in abundance in these poems and they
will make you smile and nod agreement as you read them.
Visit the author’s website here.
Elliot Stanton's Presents from the Past is a package of poetical delight.
As the 51-year-old author shares some of the milestone moments and the smaller details of his life growing up in the seventies and eighties, this poetry anthology reminds us that our history is being created every day, but sometimes we need to stop and cherish what has gone before.
From
the last day of term and school dinners to favourite snacks and eighties
must-watch TV, these are eloquent memories that will strike a chord with all.
A perfect gift for all those embracing their sixth decade, Presents from the Past is a pertinent reminder to actually cherish the moment (and not just post it on social media) and to embrace the minutiae that make us whole.
Synopsis:
We all love a bit of nostalgia, and even unfortunate or infuriating events can become fond and well-loved memories over time. Presents From the Past is a humour-infused collection of fifty poems that I have created from such memories. Many of them are from childhood and have lived long in my consciousness, but some are a little more recent and have only just laid down roots in my mind.
This book features poetic reminiscences of such subjects as favourite bygone snacks and old TV programmes, the thrill of the last day of school and attending your first football match, teenage trips to the local cinema and memories of treasured family vacations.
I
am confident that every reader will find something that resonates deeply, thus
providing that warm, satisfying glow of nostalgia we often long for.
The author says:
"Presents From the Past is a collection of 50 poems emerging from fond memories of my childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
"Of course, my memories are not your memories, but I know each reader will find something that resonates with their own formative years. The theme is affectionate nostalgia, and the compositions project unabashed sentimentality, wistfulness, and touching humour.
"Whilst
there are a couple of poems with 'messages,' my aim is purely to entertain and
remind people of a more innocent and gentler time."
About the author
Presents From the Past is Elliot Stanton's seventh book and his second book of poetry, following, It Can't Just Be Me.
Four of his previous books are humorous novels that all include various aspects of true-life events, but he decided he wanted to try something different this time. So, in the spring of 2019, he decided to write a series of Tales of the Unexpected–type stories and twelve months later, he'd written enough tales to create The Crimson Scarf and Other Short Stories.
During
the pandemic lockdown in early 2021, he started writing short, humorous poems
on the things seen and experienced. They culminated in two collections; It
Can't Just Be Me - Poetic Observations on Modern Life and Presents from
The Past - Poetic Memories from Times Gone By.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review
**Article contains affiliate links
