THE APPLE FALL.

The Apple Fall is a remarkably assured first book of poems. It is a celebration of the lives of all kinds of women, from figures such as Virginia Woolf and Zelda Fitzgerald to the anonymous peace campaigners of Greenham Common. Helen Dunmore's poems are concerned with that web of family which constricts or supports us: about becoming a mother and living closely with children; about the many facets of solitude. Helen Dunmore has a strong command of rhythm, and writes with fluency and sensitivity to achieve both precision and sensuousness. Her poems are fresh and direct, combining authority with lightness of touch - rare qualities in contemporary poetry. The Apple Fall is a book of poems with the widest appeal.