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Lei: A wreath for your soul Kindle Edition

4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

‘Lei: A wreath for your soul’ is a collection of short/micro poems that are inspired by nature and reflect on different hues of life. The word ‘lei’ refers to a garland or a wreath in Hawaiian language. In Hawaii, visitors, on arrival, are greeted with a warm ‘aloha’ and adorned with beautiful, fresh ‘lei’ as a symbol of affection. Each poem, in the book is like a fragrant flower, meant to celebrate life, generate positivism, soothe, inspire, nourish and rejuvenate the soul. Emotional and enlightening for any age, the book is composed of four sections: Nature, Life, Inspiration and Illusion. Most of the short poems are written following the Japanese style of micro-poetry (a Haiku or a Tanka). The poems illustrated with soothing imagery, are layered and imaginative, very short and simple to read, and convey a deeper meaning or bring out a new tinge of emotion every time you read them.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B016S9XHE2
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 16, 2015
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 3rd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.1 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 116 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Somali K Chakrabarti
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An Engineer with Management qualification, Somali K Chakrabarti has the heart of a poet and a writer. She is a consultant, coach, content creator and blogger.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
41 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's language, with one review highlighting its beautiful prose and another noting how it includes a brief history of poetic forms. The book receives positive feedback for its beauty, with one customer mentioning that the pictures complement the texts perfectly.

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5 customers mention "Language"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the language of the book, with one noting its beautiful prose and another highlighting its brief, well-planned simplicity.

"...Nature section, and Somali has a gift for laying open nature with simple clarity. But my favorite section was Illusion...." Read more

"What a delightful book of poetry and prose. Somali K. Chakrabarti takes you on a journey in Lei: A Wreath for your Soul...." Read more

"...In case of Lei, the choice of words is fantastic, and it all comes together so beautifully. I can't wait for the next book from Somali." Read more

"...Her brief descriptions reinforce her poetic ideals, equally as interesting as the thoughts tailored in her craft...." Read more

4 customers mention "Beauty"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book beautiful, with one mentioning that the pictures perfectly complement the texts.

"...The beautiful photography partnered with the Haiku, Tanka and Etheree stylized writing traditions are delivered to perfection...." Read more

"...The verses are full of deep thought, philosophy, and beautiful meaning...." Read more

"...To believe in your words no matter what, loving the beauty to express yourself, and have your readers to find passion with the greater world around..." Read more

"...The calming, poetic and romantic words. The pictures are so perfect to the texts. My favourites Fractals in nature, Yin-Yang and Song of life." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I like to write poetry. A lot of people try to write it without understanding not only the heart required but the diligent labor for the precise words and their arrangement that allow the reader to participate in a grace of understanding. When I read some of my own creations I see where I’ve failed to strive hard enough to do just that. So I read the works of others to see how they handle this holy chore of writing. I ran across the poetry of Somali K. Chakrabarti on a poetry site I frequent. That in turn led me to her book Lei: A wreath for your soul. It doesn’t take long for me to know how far I want go into another’s work. If I don’t perceive quality quickly, I rarely persevere. But quality was apparent from the start.

    Somali does not launch right into poetry but prepares the reader for what is to come; what she is trying to accomplish. She begins with a brief description of how social media has shaped our communications because the type of poetry she uses in the book, Haiku and Tanka, are suited to the short bursts of words in the digital world. She includes a brief history on these poetic forms that clearly depicts her reason for using them.
    Thus enlightened the reader is ready for the divisions she has made by creating four categories (Nature, Life, Illusion, Inspiration) to accommodate the nuances of her poems. Each poem is given further expression by a picture and sometimes a quote or brief reference or explanation. This is not one of those books where one must wonder what was meant.

    Haiku and Tanka, as you learn before you start reading the poems, are meant to convey essence of meaning, so each poem is short and minimal. It reminded me of taste testing chocolates from a large assortment. I can’t say there was a flavor I didn’t like. But there were certain poems that penetrated more than others with me like Soaking in Colours, Rainbow and the Moon, Everest and Fractals in Nature. Those poems are in the Nature section, and Somali has a gift for laying open nature with simple clarity. But my favorite section was Illusion. I particularly liked Spell and Dormant Desires. The pictures and the words worked seamlessly to offer a small but delightful illusion.

    It would be easy to go on about this small gem of a book. Overall it had the feel of well-planned simplicity. I came to the end feeling a little lighter, that I’d learned something, and that I got more than I paid for.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2015
    Format: Kindle
    At the first glance to the book, Lei: A Wreath For Your Soul, which, according to the author, is “inspired by Nature, reflecting on life”, I was quite hopeful of it being a nice read for me. I'm a nature lover and I love to read, write and compose haiku. The book is a collection of poems written mostly in the forms of Japanese haiku (following the 5-7-5 syllable form) and tanka (following the 5-7-5-7-7 form).

    Somali has categorized her poems under Nature, Life, Illusion, and Inspiration. All four are inseparable, Nature nurtures and inspires life and the latter often makes us wandering in the whirlpool of illusion.

    The poems make you think, wonder and often you’ll be mesmerized by the way the author has painted the world with words. In poems where the syllables are numbered, one has to be nifty in choosing words, the end effect depending entirely on it. Somali has done it with ease, the readers almost lose themselves in the enjoyment of words.

    Lei: A Wreath For Your Soul is a breezy read. Like the softness of the fragrant spring breeze, it leaves you in peace and comfort, desiring for more. I especially want to cite this tanka from the collection, this one, I think, has been nicely buoyed by a deep sense of philosophy:

    Looking back in time,
    joining dots, I find, a few
    moments, which seemed
    once mild, have surreptitiously
    shaped and bent the course of life.

    The book is an amazing read for all poetry lovers. I hope the author would come up with more of her collection in the future.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    What a delightful book of poetry and prose. Somali K. Chakrabarti takes you on a journey in Lei: A Wreath for your Soul. The beautiful photography partnered with the Haiku, Tanka and Etheree stylized writing traditions are delivered to perfection. Beautiful prose that lends itself to the magic of using very few words to convey the message and spark the imagination. I feel honored to have shared this experience with the Author and to have been able to share our ideas as writers with very similar paths. This is a book that I want on my Library shelf to refer to in times of need or desire of wisdom. Very reminiscent of the work of Khalil Gibran. Somali's words present a wonderful message and expression of Artistry. Job well done Somali.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Reading this book was like an amazing journey through the small islands, one after the other, not getting enough but moving on to the next because of curiosity of finding more on the next island, and never getting disappointed to the least.

    With her book, Lei: A wreath for your soul, Somali establishes herself as one of the promising voices on the modern indian literature scene. The verses are full of deep thought, philosophy, and beautiful meaning. One of the biggest challenges of writing good poetry is that a word here or there can completely throw a great work off. In case of Lei, the choice of words is fantastic, and it all comes together so beautifully. I can't wait for the next book from Somali.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I absolutely loved this book.

    It's written so beautifully with simplicity. I loved her prologue the most, even before I started reading her poems! Somali perfectly described the idea behind every great writer. To believe in your words no matter what, loving the beauty to express yourself, and have your readers to find passion with the greater world around them.

    She uses Haiku and Tanka styles in the book. My favorite ones (which were many) used metaphorical imagery intertwined with nature. Her brief descriptions reinforce her poetic ideals, equally as interesting as the thoughts tailored in her craft. My poetic review to you: read this for yourself, and be utterly impressed.

Top reviews from other countries

  • B G Kansara
    5.0 out of 5 stars A small and sweet collection of lovely poems
    Reviewed in India on October 28, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Lei is a small and sweet collection of poems by Somali Chakrabarti on different facets of life. The poems are composed in the Japanese styles of "haiku" and "tanka", which means that they are not only quite short, but also evoke a tapestry of images, ideas, and emotions. Each poem has an image, and where relevant, there is a short description or a message.

    Somali doesn' restrict herself to poetry just about Nature, a more common theme, but includes three other sections: Life, Inspiration, and Illusion. Even in Nature, she treads on myriad paths from waves, clouds, and rainbows to tuskers, bumble bees, and even fractals. The other three sections similarly have haikus/tankas on a range of topics.

    Overall, a lovely collection of poems which could be revisited many times, every time exposing a new layer of meaning, or a new tinge of emotion.
  • Ms. Sanchayita Deb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed Nature, culture and life all in one book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Small yet powerful poems written in Haiku and Tanka style. Enjoyed Nature, culture and life all in one book.
  • Ravish
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Experience
    Reviewed in India on November 27, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Lei – A wreath for your soul is a collection of short poems written and compiled by Somali K. Chakrabarti. Somali is a Management & Leadership Coach by profession and an artist by heart. Apart from writing poetries, she is also good in drawing sketches.

    The micro-poetries in the book are inspired by nature and reflecting on life. They are written following the Japanese poetry forms haiku and tanka.

    Haiku is Japanese poetry form which captures a moment, especially the contrast in it, and depicts it in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables. It is derived from ancient poetry form, called renga. Renga is a linked-verse poetry form in which two or more poets supplied alternating sections of a poem. The length of a renga could go to 100 verses or even 1000 verses. The shortest renga is a tan renga which is composed by two poets, one supplying the first three lines of five, seven, and five syllables called hokku or initial verse and the other the last two lines of seven syllables each. Later, Masaoka Shiki declared the hokku as an independent poetry form, called haiku.

    Tanka could be understood as a tan renga composed by a single poet.

    Lei, in Hawaiian language, means wreath. A wreath could be understood as an arrangement of flowers and leaves in shape of a circle.
    The author says that each poem in her book is like a fragrant flower which is meant to celebrate life, generate positivism, and soothe the soul. And, I’m in complete agreement with the author. Haiku isn’t about meaning but feeling. Haiku is painting in words and the author seems good in it. Just look at the very first haiku of the book:

    Woken from slumber
    Waves welcome the rising sun
    Joyous abandon!

    Just visualize it and feel its grandeur. I’m sure the book will be a refreshing experience for you.
  • Kim M Russell
    4.0 out of 5 stars A little treasure of gems to dip into
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I downloaded this little treasure of gems to my Kindle for free from Amazon. It consists mainly of aptly illustrated Japanese forms of poetry: haiku and tanka, which capture the essence of nature and snapshots of life events, strung together in a 'lei' by the poet. Somali describes her book as a series of 'micro poems' - they can be read in one sitting or, as I preferred to do, dipped into at random - and explains the structure of the haiku and the tanka for anyone who is unfamiliar with the forms. The only problem I had was with the Kindle download, which separated the lines of the poems and the poems from the illustrations, but that was easily resolved by changing the font size on my Kindle.
  • Neeraj Kumar
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read!
    Reviewed in India on August 31, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The book is full of emotions of various sorts. It introduces new dimensions to look at life and its surroundings. Some poems like: Water in a droplet, Rolling dice, Solitary leaf unravels the strangeness of life for you to ponder on. Other musings on creativity and writing inspire you to take a plunge in creative pool. I always enjoy learning new words and I found the poems sprinkled with words that give you joy when you learn the meanings of them. All in all, the posy of poems usher you into a different world of words that entertains and enlightens.

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