RaveThe Dallas News...critically acclaimed Spanish author and winner of the International Dagger Award pens an epic love story between a 'beautiful high-society woman and elegant thief,' I’m intrigued enough to open the book ...story begins in 1928 on a trans-Atlantic cruise between Lisbon, Portugal, and Buenos Aires, Argentina; aboard are famous composer Armando de Troeye, who is traveling to Buenos Aires to compose a tango, and his wife, Mercedes 'Mecha' Inzunza ... Also on board is Max Costa, a ballroom dancer... A con and thief he may be, but he’s not alone. Users come from all walks of life, and by the end of the book, readers will wonder just who has conned whom ... His attention to history and detail is immaculate, his observation of people and the human psyche keen. His characters have depth and nuance ...there are a few missteps; the story opens from Armando’s point of view, and then immediately shifts to Max’s for the rest of the book, making the beginning feel disjointed.
Hannah Tinti
RaveThe Dallas Morning NewsTinti is a masterful storyteller who deftly weaves Louise 'Loo' Hawley's coming of age against the backdrop of her father Samuel's criminal history and his search for redemption ... Tinti's language is precise and beautiful. She writes rich and nuanced characters. In spite of his past, there's never any doubt about Hawley's good intentions and the love he has for his daughter. Their story is a poignant one that readers won't want to see end.
Derek Palacio
PositiveThe Dallas Morning News...a sweeping, lyrical tale of a family's undoing ... His prose contains moments of beauty and magic that are a pleasure to the ear ... But other passages drag a bit. I found myself occasionally wishing the characters would engage in less introspection and that the story would move a bit faster. Still, The Mortifications is a timely book readers will enjoy.
Arthur Lubow
PositiveThe Dallas Morning News[Lubow] examines her life so closely it often feels voyeuristic. And yet, there's something so compelling about Arbus that, like her photos, it's hard to look away ... perusing Arbus' work, it's possible to catch glimpses of her subjects' identities. In this book, Lubow gives us a bigger gift -- a good, long look into who Arbus was and at the photography legacy she left us.
Lina Meruane, Trans. by Megan McDowell
RaveThe Dallas Morning News\"... a story told by Meruane with vivid, unflinching language that will occasionally make readers squirm with its beautiful, brutal honesty.\
