My first encounter with Paterson’s work was his second collection, God’s Gift to Women, a Poetry Book Society recommendation. One of the things I love most about that collection is the way Paterson has mixed a whole host of different elements to create a real poetry personality – there are references to ancient Greek mythologyContinueContinue reading “Selected Poems: A Review”
Author Archives: nicolaheaney
Stinging Fly Stories: A Review
This collection of short stories was published in 2018 and takes some of the best stories published in the pages of The Stinging Fly since its inception in 1998. Featuring works by writers who won, were shortlisted and longlisted for the 2019 Sunday Times Short Story Award, (Danielle McLaughlin, Kevin Barry and Wendy Erskine respectively)ContinueContinue reading “Stinging Fly Stories: A Review”
A Book of Migrations
From the opening anecdotes comparing the veins on a stranger’s hands to earthworms, it’s clear that Solnit intends to dig under the topsoil and put the notion of ‘Irishness’ under the microscope. That it is so enjoyable to read is due to the beauty of her descriptive prose and her knack for breathing life intoContinueContinue reading “A Book of Migrations”
Yiyun Li, ‘A Thousand Years of Good Prayers’
In this collection of short stories, Li examines the reality of daily life in modern China, opening our eyes to a world where society is trying to balance the weight of tradition with the fast pace of modern life. In ‘Extra’, a lonely middle-aged woman finds herself abandoned in a wilderness of strangers, dehumanised andContinueContinue reading “Yiyun Li, ‘A Thousand Years of Good Prayers’”
Lethal White: A Review
Unsettling from the very start, the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series takes a little while to find its feet. When a mentally distressed young man explodes into Strike’s office requesting help on finding out about a crime he may have witnessed as a child, Strike feels compelled to help, in part due toContinueContinue reading “Lethal White: A Review”
The Weather in Normal
This is a collection centred around space – the space in time between now and Etter’s childhood, the space of the great Illinois prairies and the space on the page that Etter uses so masterfully. ‘Night Ode’, the opening poem in the collection sets out the stall – the poems that follow will explore nostalgia,ContinueContinue reading “The Weather in Normal”
Selfie
At the risk of using hyperbole, this book will change the way you look at the world. I can say, without exaggeration, that it is possibly the most interesting book I’ve ever read. Storr sets out to examine raised suicide rates in the west by studying our relationship with the notion of self, starting withContinueContinue reading “Selfie”
Carol Ann Duffy, The World’s Wife: A Review
Although published twenty years ago, this collection still feels incredibly fresh and contemporary. Due to its place on A Level set text lists in the UK, the poems in this collection are probably familiar to many poetry fans, so there’s no need for a long introduction. In this collection Duffy takes a whole host ofContinueContinue reading “Carol Ann Duffy, The World’s Wife: A Review”
Parks in Madrid
One of the most surprising things about living in Madrid was the sheer choice of parks available. There were so many I don’t think I managed them all (even though we allocated a week one July to exploring them). So, apologies if your favourite isn’t listed – it may be I never made it…or, moreContinueContinue reading “Parks in Madrid”
Florist at Midnight
This is a sublime collection, redolent of a masterfully arranged bouquet – no sparsity, beautiful details and gathered together in a way that draws out every nuance. The title poem is full of darkness, sinister in its use of anthropomorphism. This is a feature across the collection as Maguire humanises a number of different plantsContinueContinue reading “Florist at Midnight”
Nicola Heaney 