The Sorcerer's Arc: Amazon.co.uk: June English: Books

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasing Collection, 17 Oct 2005

By A Customer

The title surprises me - I first thought that the poet was referring to the "Sorceror's ARK", the generic name for all those magic tricks that produce rabbits out of hats - but this is just about the only thing that I found in the book to puzzle me, for the rest of it has the unmistakeable ring of truth about it.

Overall this is a collection for the mature reader who cannot be bothered with the questioning and unravelling of codes and nuances that bedevil many of the new collections coming onto the market. It is rooted in real life and written by the woman who has really lived it. Anyone of the generation which knows the meaning of "Digging for Britain" and "Make Do And Mend" will sigh with nostalgia - and it is to be hoped that the succeeding generation will be informed and amused by it all.

June English often goes for the giggle, but she also deals with serious subjects - austerity, bereavement, abuse - with honesty and a more gentle humour. For the new and tentative paddler in the great ocean of poetry there are worse places to dip a toe.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Bitter-sweet collection - and very moving, 9 Mar 2007

By	Paul Curd (Kent) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

June English's work has been compared to the poetry of Thomas Hardy for its range of mood and for the way she writes unflinchingly from experience. High praise indeed. But her poems are probably more accessible to the modern reader, and they have a personal directness that is all part of her unique voice. The touching humour of 'Make Do and Mend' and 'Backside Up' is counterpointed with the poignancy of poems such as 'Gathering Lilac' and 'The Tree That Isn't There':

Sometimes I stand at the bus stop,
near the beech tree that isn't there,
listening to the wind that doesn't stir,
waiting for you to arrive on a bus
that doesn't come this way.

There's Hardy-esque dialect (albeit Yorkshire) in poems such as 'Proper Peaky' and 'Hearts and Flowers', and some vivid wartime memories - 'Home Front' and 'Dover-1940' for example. You could say there's something for everyone - and like the poet's 'Bunny Girl', you'll keep finding bits of yourself, scattered among these pages.

The Sorcerer's Ark is the second collection of poetry from June English (her first collection, 'Counting the Spots', was published by Acumen in 2000) and a fine collection it is, too. It spans a lifetime of experiences and emotions, with poems that are written with vivacity and honesty. I defy you not to be touched by them.

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The Sorcerer's Arc (Paperback)

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