RaveThe Seattle Book Review... a playful romp of a novel ... While this story is written for adults, it would not be surprising if it becomes a popular YA novel. Kudos to Blau. Let’s hope she has more arrows like this in her quiver.
Aimee Bender
MixedNew York Journal of BooksAimee Bender’s writing style is one that is clipped; words often appear to be missing from sentences, from paragraphs, from pages. Maybe the words are missing because in this imaginary world humans simply don’t understand each other—relatives or strangers—and therefore are not competent about talking, listening, responding ... There must be an intended message buried somewhere in this 292-page novel that I missed. After its charming opening pages, Lemon Cake seemed to immediately bog down. It read more like a novella or an overly extended short story than a true novel.
Piper Kerman
PositiveNew York Journal of Books... a primarily angry, but eventually calming memoir ... words that begin with \'f\' and \'s\'...appear on about every other page. This reviewer was surprised that an editor had not elected to remove the terms, which became repetitive and annoying ... Instead of blaming herself or her fellow inmates for their crimes, Kerman attempts to label the criminal justice system’s officials as evil. It just does not work. As they say, if you can’t do the time then don’t do the crime ... In the end, a painful tale of incarceration winds up as a positive story of self-acceptance ... The journey that Piper Kerman takes the reader on in this memoir is at times a rocky one on a winding road, but the destination makes the journey worthwhile. Well done.
