RaveThe Milwaukee Journal-SentinelEven though Smith is writing two very different stories from two different eras, she does a masterful job of weaving connecting threads between the two without the book feeling contrived. George's mother takes her on a tour of the Palazzo Schifanoia during a family vacation, and the painter is referenced many times throughout the girl's story. George's appearances in Francesco's story are less concrete. Smith takes the painter out of time and places her as a sort of viewer/apparition in the future … Later in the book, Francesco explains that art has the unique ability to free us, ‘... it unchains the eyes and the lives of those who see it and gives them a moment of freedom, from its world and from their world both.’ In the same way, Smith unchains her painter and allows her to transcend time, creating a unique conversation between past and present.
Carol Birch
MixedThe Milwaukee Journal SentinelBirch’s novel does more than tell the story of a woman and performer, it brings to light the dangers of exploitation and dehumanization. With great sensitivity and compassion, Birch reclaims Julia Pastrana’s humanity ... the challenge with Birch’s story is that it is tied to the reality of Julia’s existence. She was exploited and controlled throughout her rather short life, and never really breaks free. The problem of writing about travel, performance, and being stuck in a house or on a train is that it’s a lot of the same story, and it grew tedious at times. There was also a contemporary element to the novel that felt superfluous.
Maria Semple
RaveThe Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe power in Semple’s novel is its relatability...It is in small vignettes and vivid character descriptions where Semple’s comedy shines ... Semple’s novel is a life’s worth of events presented over the course of a single day. And in presenting that life, she also compellingly portrays the 'hamster wheel' existence all of us are faced with from time to time.
