"Are we there yet?" by Sally Goldsmith (Smith doorstop, 2013)

I was disappointed by this, given the reviews it's had and the puffs by Harsent and Morley. Thaw (which I liked) was highly commended in the NPC. 3 of the poems (2 of which I didn't like) were shortlisted for the Bridport. A pamphlet was a winner in the Poetry business competition. There are sonnets, rhyming couplets, terza rima, etc.

I liked "The Robin Clock", "The Oak and the Fencemaker" and "Janice". Too many of the other poems leave me cold. "Are we there yet" is an over-used title for a death-bed poem.

Other reviews

• Noel Williams

"Singer" by Sally Goldsmith (Smith/Doorstep, 2009)

A pamphlet by an ex-songwriter - information which initially and unnecessarily made me wary. In fact, even the title's unmusical - it refers to a make of sewing machine. There's a refreshing agility of approach in these poems - from seemingly biographical sestinas to playful ghazals. I wasn't so taken by the more purely character-based poems like "Down There", and "Out of Joint", preferring the more lingo-savvy "Janice" and "Hare Ghazal". Some of the more promising poems ("Bike", Lil") rather outlast their welcome.

Other reviews

• Sphinx