This series of poems, based in post war Edinburgh, tell the story of Linda, fleeing with her 11 year old daughter from England and an abusive relationship. In hiding as a lady's companion in one of the city's suburbs, mother and daughter settle into their new life in Elsie's rackety house, and encounter a variety of characters who will change their lives forever. More Patina than Gleam celebrates outsiders getting by in hard times - the day to day grind of cleaning a house, periods, prejudice, ageing, sexuality and falling in and out of love. The poems are not autobiographical, but Jane Aldous, whose own mother used to say that she could have run away with Jane when she was a baby, has gently torn scraps from her own life to add to the collage.

About the Author
Jane Aldous lives in Edinburgh where she finds many sources of inspiration for her poems in nature in the garden, allotment and surrounding countryside. Her poems have appeared in Southlight, Northwords Now, poetandgeek have been commended in the Bridport Prize, the Norman MacCaig Centenary Prize, the Baker Prize, Buzzwords and she won the Wigtown Poetry Prize in 2012. Jane's debut poetry collection Let out the Djinn was published by Arachne Press in 2019 and several of her poems appear in Arachne's Solstice Shorts Festival anthologies. Her poems have also been also been anthologised by Edinburgh Council Museum and Galleries, Speculative Books (also podcast), the Stanza Poetry Map of Scotland (online), New Writing Scotland and Grey Hen Press.

Reviews
A novella in seventy sonnets, and a page turner at that - some achievement! Aldous has given us a rare treat. An absorbing narrative of both actual and emotional journeys are given life on the page by her careful attention to setting and detail - we are conscious of being safely steered home by an assured and fluent poetic hand; Joy Howard



Book Information
ISBN 9781913665784
Author Jane Aldous
Format Paperback
Page Count 76
Imprint Arachne Press
Publisher Arachne Press