The Penny Dropping
About this book
Shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize 2024
Drawing on powerful and universal themes, The Penny Dropping traces the journey of a relationship from first meeting to eventual break-up.
Distance and maturity give retrospective access to moments of revelation which went fatally unacknowledged or unheeded at the time and which now return with an insistence impossible to ignore. But if the penny drops years too late, these poems are their own implicit argument for the value of revisiting our pasts if only in order to acquire a fuller, more complete presence in the now.
Hovering over the collection is Eliot's final question in The Waste Land: 'Shall I at least set my lands in order?' And as Helen Farish applies herself to the task, her unflinching yet compassionate voice has never been more in evidence. From the elation of the opening 'Things We Loved' to the acceptance and humour of 'Of All My Losses', much is at stake on every page.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Things We Loved
- In the Balance
- Taste of Home
- âThe Eve of St Agnesâ
- Exposure
- The Innocence of Pronouns
- Mozartâs 233rd Birthday
- Premonition
- The Sirocco
- Qui e Li
- The Halcyon Days
- Snow on the Road to Naoussa
- Christ Has Risen! He Has Risen Indeed!
- Day of Miracles
- Filling Station, Crete
- P
- May Day
- From the Album
- Burning
- Legacy
- The Right Thing
- Valentineâs Day
- Flowers, Baguettes, Fromage, Wine
- âPretty Womanâ
- A Hundred Days
- That Route
- The Butcherâs Boy
- The Candle Snuffer
- The Penny Dropping
- In Seville That Spring
- Scapegoat
- That Postcard You Sent from Crete
- On Approval
- My Exit
- Thanking the Universe
- Fairytale
- The Waste Land
- Original You
- No Point Now
- Triggers
- Pasta alla Gorgonzola
- The Shaman Says
- How Brilliant Is That?
- Anniversary
- Red Circle
- Hero
- The Joke
- Films We Saw at The Phoenix
- Aftermath
- Beauty Spot
- Bringing Things Forward
- That Selige Sehnsucht Feeling
- Notes
- Acknowledgements
