The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureLiterature

Cockleshells – A Book of People Poetry by Tricia Sturgeon

Cockleshells – A Book of People Poetry by Tricia Sturgeon | Book review
28 July 2014
Lauren Shean
Avatar
Lauren Shean
28 July 2014

Tricia Sturgeon’s latest book of poetry, Cockleshells, is inspiring; it provokes readers into delving into their thoughts as she discusses an array of life events and the emotions. Her new collection is a wonderful gathering of poems that leaves a sensation of warmth and contentment – a success for a woman no stranger to accomplishment.

Her compilation is split into five sub-sections, all offering a variety of emotions. Whilst at times her work seems monotonous in tone and message, this does not take away from the beauty of what she puts on paper. In her first section, Dreaming, Sturgeon showcases her linguistic ability, highlighting the charm and wonder of dreams and fantasy. The stand-out poem here is Decades, which explores the idea of time and allows individuals to reflect on their own lives, what they have achieved so far, and what can still be achieved in the grand scheme of things. From the same section, Angels is almost innocent, and it is refreshing to read something so gentle and calming.

Midway into her stunning set, she offers a series of humourous poems, contrasting with the seriousness of the earlier works. Healthy Eating is easily relatable, and bound to put a smile on readers’ faces as they spot the endearing similarities with their own lives.

Arguably her best work comes later on as her General and Narrative Poems become more natural and she reaches her stride. Both Written in the Stars and Gift of Love may be comparatively brief, but she expresses her innermost feelings, ultimately creating a connection with those reading. There is a pattern of short but effective poems that are refreshingly straight to the point, instead of being tediously hyperbolic and romanticised.

★★★★★

Lauren Shean

Cockleshells: A Book of People Poetry is published by Pegasus Publishers at the paperback price of £8.99. For further information visit here.

Related Itemsemotionliteraturepoetryreview

More in Literature

Ten short literary collections to get you back into reading

Rosamund Kelby
Read More

Five books to read in 2021

Lilly Subbotin
Read More

2020 roundup: Top five book releases of the year

Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More

Five books to read this Christmas

Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More

Trio by William Boyd

★★★★★
Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More

The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

★★★★★
Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More

Sisters by Daisy Johnson

★★★★★
Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

★★★★★
Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

★★★★★
Elizaveta Kolesova
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Female filmmakers lead nominees for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
    Cinema
  • An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories
    Theatre
  • Persian Lessons
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Jeremiah Fraites – Piano Piano
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Lonely the Brave – The Hope List
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Live Lab at The Yard Theatre: An interview with associate director Cheryl Gallagher
    Theatre
  • We Still Fax at ANTS Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • We Ask These Questions of Everybody: An interview with Amble Skuse and Toria Banks
    Theatre
  • Hello Cosmos – Dream Harder
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Public Domain at Southwark Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • We Still Fax at ANTS Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • WandaVision: Marvel’s charming sitcom proves an astounding success
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Undercover at Morpheus Show Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ten short literary collections to get you back into reading
    Literature
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

The German Doctor (Wakolda) | Movie review
Six: A New Musical at London Theatre Workshop | Theatre review