Together Behind Four Walls

by Francis H. Powell

From humour to deep thoughts Together Behind Four Walls captures the many facets of the human spirit during the pandemic.
Proceeds from the book will go to Marie Curie nurses who continued their great work during this crisis. The book can be bought on the Goldcrest Books website.

Paperback

First published September 3, 2021

About the author

Born in 1961, in Reading, England Francis H Powell attended Art Schools, receiving a degree in painting and an MA in printmaking. In 1995, Powell moved to Austria, teaching English as a foreign language while pursuing his varied artistic interests adding music and writing. He currently lives in Brittany, France writing both prose and poetry. Powell has published short stories in the magazine, “Rat Mort” and other works on the internet site "Multi-dimensions." His two published books are Flight of Destiny and Adventures of Death, Reincarnation and Annihilation

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kelly @lovebooktours for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I jumped at the chance to review this collection for 3 reasons:

-        I don’t read enough poetry so this was a good opportunity.

-        I’m really interested in other people’s experiences of the pandemic and lockdowns.

-        Last but not least this is for a wonderful charity. I lost my Dad to cancer so this will always be a charity that is close to my heart.

This is a collection from various poets\writers\artists and there is definitely something for everyone. It is designed to be dipped into but I found I devoured the whole collection in one go because there was always time for ‘just one more’. The book is sectioned into topics such as Deep Thoughts, Love in Lockdown and Children in Lockdown. I’m certain that everyone can relate to at least one of the entries. One of my favourites was the poem called ‘Marie Curie’ by John Hegley.

A really interesting collection and shows the wide variety of peoples experiences and thoughts about the pandemic. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry but all of them will make you think.

[Bianca Duthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would never normally pick up anything like this. I don't particularly 'get' poetry. However this is for a good cause so pick it up I did.
It has lots of lovely poems and short stories - being honest I much proffered the poems (and these far outweighed the stories)
There was some heartbreaking ones, heartwarming ones, humorous ones and hard hitting ones.
I loved how they were split into sections of their "genre". This made it super easy to relate them to each other for a non-poetry reader such as myself.
This is raising vital funds for Marie Curie so dig deep, support the charity and buy yourselves a copy of this!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Each of our homes is
wrapped in the insolence
of tasks badly done
and the same re-found lists
run over again and re-run

In this time of shadows and light
we are all bathing alone,
wet from the memory of before
and dry to any hope of tomorrow”

To bath alone by Barnabas Wetton.

The poem above is one of my favourites from the collection in this book. I had many favourites but this was one of the lighter ones. A good chunk of the poems are much deeper but I figured sharing something light was the way to go!

The book is basically a bunch of poems, stories and illustrations from many different poets, authors and illustrators. I enjoyed a majority of the content and I feel that the book would be a great help for the people that are currently struggling with the aftermath of the world's recent unpleasantness.

I experienced many emotions while reading this, sadness, hope and happiness, plus a feeling that the people who contributed to this book were screaming out things like ‘you are not alone’ and ‘‘we feel it too’,

Many of the poems are extremely relatable and the poets do not hold back or sugarcoat anything, which is rather beautiful. Aside from the emotional stuff there are also funny poems and illustrations, actually the illustrations are awesome and gave me a few chuckles.

The stories that were included are sweet and funny, my favourite one would have to be ‘The Hoarders’ by Francis H Powell.

This is a book that you can keep going back to again and again, you're guaranteed to find something in there that will make you feel better about yourself and/or your circumstances. The book is structured well and there are positive vibes emanating from each page!

Definitely one to pick up!


I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Love Books Tours, views and opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

[Clairey Stanhope · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one has not been impacted by the pandemic, grandparents missing making memories, kids missing school, family missing each other, friends FaceTiming.

Firstly, buy this book. Yes that’s what I said support this amazing book. Marie Curie nurses are amazing. So the book already had me. Add in that it’s an amazing collection of literature and art. Well now I am also buying a copy.

This book is an amazing glimpse into the moment that we stood together by staying apart and if not for the amazing individuals. Life would be so much harder.

I loved this collection, I had tears, smiles and everything in between. Amazing book. I am left speechless

Thank you so much to
@togetherbehindfourwall and
@lovebookstours

#Ad #Gifted #charity #mariecurie

[enjoyingbooksagain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is broke down into different chapters like
Caring and Kindness
Deep Thoughts
Child in Lockdown
Love in Lockdown
Hope and Despair
Funny Stuff in Lockdown
Time in Lockdown
Loneliness and Emptiness
Land And Sea
Different Perspectives
And under each of these are very beautiful short stories or poems some of these made me Cry others made me wonder about the people they were writing about but everyones words in this collection are beautiful in their own way. This is a book you can read in one sitting or you can read a few stories at a time. You will find one if not many you will relate to.

[Prerana Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review:
The past couple of years have been stressful for all of us and reading about other people, their struggles and experiences makes the entire process a bit more real and easy to cope with. Having written a collection of poems myself, I was excited to read this book. The contributions by people and their personal stories is very touching and heart warming. My favourite poem was “Then and now”.
Thank you @lovebookstours for giving me the opportunity to be part of this book tour. And thanks to @togetherbehindfourwall for sharing their book with me. The artwork is really catchy.

[Katie Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Together Behind Four Walls is a thoughtful and varied collection that captures the many facets of the human spirit during the pandemic. From moments of humour to deep reflections, Francis H. Powell explores the emotional landscape of isolation, resilience, and connection that defined lockdown life. This is a book that speaks to our shared experience and reminds us of the power of creativity in difficult times. Proceeds support Marie Curie nurses, adding a generous and meaningful dimension. A poignant read for anyone who lived through the pandemic. Highly recommended.

[Kaylie Sudlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

COVID affected everyone in some sort of way. I know it affected my mental health in a massive way. This anthology was brilliant, it shows you other peoples experiences whether different to my own or similar.

The fact that proceeds from this book will be going to Marie Curie is amazing and I will be telling everyone to grab a copy.

Thank you to the publisher and Love Books Tours for the opportunity to read this in return for an honest review.