This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
Ava Carmel was born in Toronto, Canada. In the Sixties she was a singer songwriter, performing in the clubs of Yorkville Village. She then moved to Israel and settled in a little Galilean village with a Mediterranean view.
For many years Ava worked as a freelance journalist, writing about the positive aspects of life in Galilee — mainly coexistence, tourism, and archaeology. She then became a technical writer and still works part time in high tech.
In addition she writes, translates, and edits.
About 20 years ago Ava spontaneously began creating collages, when trying to deal with a trauma from adolescence. She tore some pictures out of a magazine, pasted them on a blank page and realized that she had found her medium.
After several years of mute collages, she discovered that words from newspaper headlines added a new dimension.
Severe Silence, her first book, is a collection of collages, poems, and journal entries documenting her journey from a silent wife to an outspoken, independent woman.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Severe Silence: A Narrative in Poetry and Collage by Ava Carmel is a powerful book that chronicles the transformation of a woman from that of a silent wife to that of an outspoken and independent woman, and how she found her voice. The author aesthetically blends poetry and collages to create a unique book that not only speaks about her feelings and the trauma she underwent, but also showcases her moods and thoughts through the collages shared in the book. The emotions and the frustrations she was undergoing, the powerlessness, voicelessness, and her struggle to break free from the shackles of an unhappy marriage have been put down beautifully in this collection of poetry and collages, where she expresses her unhappiness and helplessness differently from what is usually seen.
Her poetry and collages highlight the starkness of her feelings and give an excellent creative and eclectic vibe to the book. Her personal style of writing and way of expressing are avante-garde and highly exclusive. It’s original, unique, and straightforward, and connects well with readers. The idea of capturing a broken marriage with the help of collages is highly artistic, different, and her description of domestic abuse and a dysfunctional marriage comes out well through these collages and her words.
The poems are minimalistic, stark, and capture the author’s pain and agony effectively, yet her words are strong and powerful and they leave lasting memories in the minds of readers. Her poems and collages capture the essence of her emotions and feelings, are unapologetic, and will give hope to a lot of women who are suffering from domestic abuse. I just loved it. Haven't read a good poetry book like this in recent times.
