“Chosen by Carol Ann Duffy as her Laureate’s Choice, the poems offer an unveiling of family secrets as well as an acknowledgement of the hardships endured by female relatives. When her mother’s death is described in the arresting opening couplet of ‘A Present’ as ‘The last gift my mother gave me’, it comes as no surprise.”
Maggie Sawkins, Sphinx Review
“Here’s a poet who constructs the living room of a life from the barest of furniture. Thirza Clout’s brief but focused observation bespeaks an act of love which is given definition, not so much in direct protestation, but rather in practical dispensation, in sharing.”
Poem of the Week, Yorkshire Times
“These are interesting narratives in the sense that everyone’s family is worth writing about, each unique, mad and bad in its own way, but what really engaged me in this collection were the poems where Clout lets her sardonic wit rip.”
Kate Noakes, London Grip
“…here are poems that are tightly controlled with a skilful matter-of-factness; almost as if the poetry is being held in check by the means chosen to discover it…”
Jonathan Davidson, Under the Radar
Thirza Clout 