RaveThe Chicago TribuneEdwards' novel alternates perspectives between Caroline and Phoebe's lives and those of members of the Henry family. Norah is devastated by the news of her second child's death; she turns to alcohol and other men to fill the void … Photography is the major motif throughout the novel, which is named for the first camera Norah gives her husband in the early days of their marriage, The Memory Keeper … Edwards...is a born novelist. From the riveting depiction of the twins' birth, which opens the book, she sustains suspense through 400 pages of compelling prose, consistent characterization and a plot that is poignant without being preachy or sticky-sweet.
Jennifer Egan
RaveThe Boston GlobeAs thought-provoking and entertaining as Egan’s speculative projections are, A Visit From the Goon Squad is, in the end, far more than a demonstration of the author’s skill in bending time, form, and genre. It’s a distinctive and often moving portrayal of how — even when their inhabitants don’t realize it — lives can intersect and influence one another in profound and enduring ways.
Elizabeth Strout
RaveThe Boston GlobeAlthough the book is being marketed as ‘a novel in stories,’ it is not a novel but a unified cycle of finely observed tales focusing on characters inhabiting a single town … Loss is the major theme of Olive Kitteridge, particularly the loss of youth, and of the illusions that age and experience render difficult to sustain … Strout is equally deft at life's lighter moments, even when they occur in serious contexts … Olive Kitteridge is an often-painful book to read because of its insistence on life's sharper realities, but that is precisely what makes it such a gratifying stunner.
