RaveChicago Review of BooksAn ambitious, emotionally rich work that emphasizes the unseen bonds between people and their environment ... What distinguishes Land from more conventional historical fiction is the way O’Farrell blends realism with folklore, spirituality, and mystery ... Perhaps the greatest achievement of Land is the way O’Farrell transforms landscape into something almost sentient ... Land is not a fast-moving work of literary fiction, nor is it interested in tidy resolutions. It asks readers to surrender to mood, imagery, and emotional accumulation rather than straightforward plot mechanics. For those willing to move at its deliberate pace, the rewards are substantial. O’Farrell has written yet another haunting and deeply humane story about survival, silence, and the stories embedded within the earth itself.
MixedChicago Review of BooksStraub’s most compelling achievement is her ability to capture the sanctity of shared obsession ... Annie’s perspective is sharp, observant, and tinged with self-conscious humor, which anchors the book emotionally. The setting itself is brilliantly conceived ... Yet where the book shines conceptually, it falters in execution. Much of the narrative operates at the level of observation rather than dramatization ... The book is filled with sharp cultural commentary and memorable lines, yet it can feel slight, as though its most compelling ideas are sketched rather than fully realized. Still, the novel’s cultural timing is astute.
