Here we have, as Skelton terms [Because of Love], "a more or less narrative sequence" (less rather than more, I think, since several of the poems were separately published before being gathered into this narrative), one which both depicts the course of a particular love affair and attempts to celebrate love as a vital force in human life. Technically the poetry is impressive in nearly every line. Skelton is a craftsman whose work shows that he has not merely studied but absorbed the major traditions of poetry in English, and can write with gracefully assured precision in a variety of tones and rhythmic forms.

His technical skill is expended, however, on delineating in this new book the nuances of feelings which are seldom clearly motivated. The sensitive speaker in the narrative is too much in love with love, and too self-consciously sensitive, to deal adequately with any person...