There is a whole life being lived in the pages of this book. Relationships - between family member and friends, and between lovers - are at its core, as too is the natural world of sky and trees and birds and the realms of experience which memory and loss open up for all of us. Grief at the passing of parents, as well as profound attachment to a loved pet, are registered alongside a joyous and often humorous sense of day to day living. A deeply felt concern for the victims of war and injustice is another thread woven through the poetry in Under the Mop Top Tree, the entirety of which is characterised by an open-hearted embrace of what it means to be alive in this complex and multi-horizoned age. Vanessa Craven has produced a collection of poems that will relate to the lives of a wide range of readers. Ross Gillett