SOURCE: A review of False Shuffles, in Quill and Quire, Vol. 49, No. 3, March, 1983, p. 66.

In the following positive review, Wayne briefly discusses stylistic and thematic aspects of False Shuffles.

Once in a very long while a book of poetry appears that is so strong and original it signals the discovery of a remarkable new talent.

Jane Urquhart's second book of poetry, False Shuffles, is one of these occasions. Filled with the lives of small-town eccentrics, Niagara Falls daredevils, undertakers' brides, and beer-hall waitresses, the book is both expertly crafted and emotionally compelling.

At its heart, False Shuffles is about the power of magic as the poet, portrayed as magician, explores a surrealistic world. Illusion takes precedence over reality, and the odd, the eccentric, and the ghostly mean more than the daily news.

The language is intensely private and the imaginative landscape is highly charged with passion and memory...