review 1: This is such a moving collection of poems, particularly the ones that lament Duffy's late mother. I read them shortly after my own mother died and found them consoling and heartwarming, particularly one called 'Water'. Carol Ann Duffy has said she thinks of poems as 'secular prayers'. I cannot think of a better definition for her poems, nor a better reason to read them and think about them and recite them. review 2: I didn't even know of this collection, which I think must show how distracted I've been lately, because I love Carol Ann Duffy's work -- and there are some glorious ones here. This is her first collection since becoming poet laureate, I believe, and it contains the poetry she wrote in that capacity -- 'Mrs Schofield's GCSE', 'Last Post' -- as well a... mores others, with a lovely motif of bees and honey running through. There's all sorts of poetry here, poetry of loss, political poetry, poetry based on mythology... I think my favourites were 'Last Post' and 'Virgil's Bees'. There's lots of lovely lines, though, as you'd expect. less
