Reader's Choice

John MacKenna's short book Clare (Blackstaff, £5.99) tells the story of the life of John Clare, the nature poet of early 19th century England. The story is told by four women: Clare's daughter, his wife, his sister and a patroness, with the final chapter being left to the poet. The book succeeds where many historical recreations fail, through empathy, reticence and a delicacy of touch. MacKenna evokes the lives of the women and the poet with a lyrical exactness that convinces and moves. Present regrets at the loss of miles of hedgerows stand in feeble contrast to the passion of John Clare whose despair at land enclosures led, in part, to his own tormented confinement.