There’s a warning right there on the back cover blurb: “one of the UK’s most cherished poets”. Whatever that means.
But really?
Not for me, I’m afraid. Too much ‘listing’ for my taste, and a great deal of personal reflection with which it is impossible for the reader to associate. All this compounded by dated references (particularly to songs) which almost certainly will not resonate with a modern reader…
The Scot’s dialect didn’t help: probably very effective at an open mic in Glasgow, but on a page..? And certainly not for a Sassenach!
You may well guess that I struggled… Self-indulgent and clumsy in places, to me the collection felt as if it had been somehow thrown together.
Ian Gouge - Writer 