Glad of These Times

July 1, 2007
"In crack-haunted alleys, overhangs, / plots of sour earth that pass for gardens, / in the space between wall and wheelie bin// in all these places the city lilacs are pushing/ their cones of blossom into the spring." With a keen eye for detail and an ear for the sweet, subtle music of the world around her, Dunmore proves herself to be as adept at unwinding wry, curious, and fascinating stories in her poetry as she is in her acclaimed fiction (e.g., "A Spell of Winter"). These new poems, her first collection since "Out of the Blue: Poems 19752001", continue her lyrical investigation into the corners of lifequiet, joyous, or dark. Honest and generous, this work can also be haunting: "a bunch of violets/ laid on a grave, and a woman walking, / and black rain falling on the headstone/ of 'the handsomest man I've ever seen.' " This tender yet intense new collection is recommended, particularly for contemporary British poetry collections.Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

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