The River Girl

by Wendy Cope, Nicholas Garland (Illustrator)

Tells the story of Isis, daughter of Father Thames, who falls in love with a poet and leaves the river to marry him

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

Wendy Cope was educated at Farringtons School, Chislehurst, London and then, after finishing university at St Hilda's College, Oxford, she worked for 15 years as a primary school teacher in London.

In 1981, she became Arts and Reviews editor for the Inner London Education Authority magazine, 'Contact'. Five years later she became a freelance writer and was a television critic for 'The Spectator magazine' until 1990.

Her first published work 'Across the City' was in a limited edition, published by the Priapus Press in 1980 and her first commercial book of poetry was 'Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis' in 1986. Since then she has published two further books of poetry and has edited various anthologies of comic verse.

In 1987 she received a Cholmondeley Award for poetry and in 1995 the American Academy of Arts and Letters Michael Braude Award for light verse. In 2007 she was one of the judges for the Man Booker Prize.

In 1998 she was the BBC Radio 4 listeners' choice to succeed Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate and when Andrew Motion's term of office ended in 2009 she was once again considered as a replacement.

She was awarded the OBE in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours List.

Gerry Wolstenholme
February 2011

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down, down into the half-light of the river,
Isis dives. The water strokes her limbs
And she remembers how she loves to be here.
She turns a somersault and swims and swims,

As lithe as any fish. And all creatures
Who see her pass are happy that she's here.
The bolder fishes nuzzle her in friendship
And one forgets himself and bites her ear.

[Ian Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a delight. I just wish it were longer and that we got more about Isis and her adventures. I felt that there were some incidents that felt a little superfluous but overall this is a fun read, a lovely long poem to read aloud.

[Ags · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like that this rhymes and that it can be read in one go, while the coffee's brewing! I also enjoyed the overall message of people are people and you've gotta respect your wife, my man. Little moments with river friends (especially one fish who excitedly bites Isis's ear) were endearing. I loved the story of a loving father, and that there was never really a conflict between the father and daughter. We all knew how this self-absorbed jerk was going to be in marriage, but the dad never says "I told you so." That's nice! and, the River Thames could be a metaphor for many elements of our lives that matter to us and that we love, but that we leave behind for "love," which is cool.

This didn't quite go anywhere for me, and I wasn't surprised or particularly delighted throughout. Isis really got the short straw in terms of character development, all characters are really flat, and overall many parts seemed superfluous? Which is a fun word, while this was not fun for me to read. Darn.

The illustrations were okay - I liked that they were sort of like lino cuts, and the emphasis on black ink played nicely with the storyline of a poet trying to write - but they were not essential. I may just be spoiled by reading some really good graphic novels.

I will read more Wendy Cope! I know this was a weird place for me to start with her work.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Thames has whispered through another night.'

I read that line - which is only the second line in the bloody book - and had to close my eyes and take a moment to accept that I will never write anything as good. It's fine. I'm fine, really.

The River Girl is a poem that Wendy Cope was commissioned to write. It's aimed at children, and although it has a fairy tale feel and a strong sense of repetition and rhyme, I do wonder if it would hold the attention of any kids I know (especially the bits about the poets sitting around and dissing their publishers). That said, it's wonderfully written and dripping with irony and scorn for pretentious literary types. The story follows a daughter of the Thames as she falls in love with a poet who doesn't actually, er, write very much. Cope has the feel of a myth or a fable absolutely nailed and I really enjoyed this one.

[Mark Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful wee book to read aloud. Cope has a great feel for this style of writing. I see myself reading it regularly.

[Kier Scrivener · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful, evocative, funny, a Wendy Cope special

[abi evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little story, very pretty but i dont think id ever reread

[Parhelion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like poems. I like poems that rhyme. I like poems that don't require a fine arts degree to understand. But this just wasn't for me.

It was written to be performed on the stage. Maybe as a performance piece it would have been better. But given my strong dislike of musicals and lack of interest in the stage, I suspect that wouldn't have improved it much for me.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Itz for Kidz.

However, it's also pretty incredible. It's a break-up fairytale/parable written entirely in rhyme warning that, if you're too preoccupied with being an asshole to address the fact that you're being an asshole, then your spriggan bride is probably going to fuck the fuck off back to the river from whence she came and you'll be sad.

I love Wendy Cope.

[Eve Flockhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet sweet Wendy Cope, so glad I bought your collected works. Something about simple little rhyming poems about life and love and friends is such an anxiety soother.