‘Witty, thought-provoking and sensous poems from one of the country’s most under-rated writers’

Mark Whitley in The Countryman

‘These are poems to be read with pleasure, and to be shared and read aloud. The danger of whimsy is kept firmly at bay by a down-to-earth self-mockery….
The witty Best Foot Forward… gallops along like the lightest of Betjeman. And there’s a splendid ..piece about a python..at a children’s party. As for Christmas Round Robins, we no doubt all share her feelings about these, and other contemporary absurdities in Working Out. There’s certainly room for Mary Sheepshanks on my shelves.’
Dr RV Bailey for Envoi

‘Much poetry is a halfway stage between prose and music and that is an apt description of Mary Sheepshanks’ poems. As in her novels, there is also story-telling, characterisation and a wicked sense of humour…Mary Sheepshanks is original in her thinking and the way she expresses her thoughts…These are poems that should be read again and again’
Mabel Ferret of The Pennine Poets

‘A talented poet…her work in this collection is always tuneful, imaginative and accessible … an attractive collection’
Michael Bangiter for New Hope International Online

‘Mary Sheepshanks uses a number of voices throughout this collection, each discernibly her own, so that we feel that we know her: warm, humorous, with a faith that is not afraid to ask questions, a woman with a relish for living, who has had the habit of happiness but has learnt to acknowledge grief’
Barbara Rennie for Envoi‘

‘Mary Sheepshanks’ poems greatly interest numerous subscribers to this magazine…she has the peculiar knack of making what others might regard as easy versifying into moving poetry.’
Brian Merrikin Hill for Pennine Platform