One for Sorrow sets out to explain the many proverbs and sayings that are a ‘key facet of our conversations.’ The say ings are all, of course, taken from the English language. The book covers everything from the most common sayings like ‘A rolling stone gathers no moss’, to the less commonplace such as ‘It is ill prizing of green barley’. Chloe Rhodes is a journalist and this is evidenced in her clear and precise reporting of the etymology, history and reasons behind the usage of the various sayings she has outlined. She references everything from literature to religion and myth conscientiously. However, it is probably this very straightforward way of reporting that consigns this book to being a reference book and not really a book that one would read with avid interest over and over again.
November 2016, volume 40, No 11