PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksNesbit continues her contribution to powerful narration of thwarted women ... What makes the story work is Alice and Eleanor’s braided narrative...We see virtue in them, and we feel for them. We want nothing more than for their short seconds of understanding to last longer ... What’s most riveting about this story is the way the women characters self-regulate in the shadow of male authoritarianism ... Alice Bradford and Eleanor Billington reflect communal anxieties that are as present today as ever, and they speak to the human conditions of fear, prejudice, and acceptance. The power of the novel becomes what we learn from our foremothers, what they have to tell us.
Emma Glass
RaveWashington Independent Review of BooksThe attention to detail and organic sound in individual syllables, twining and weaving in a mesmerizing dance, is unmistakably potent in Peach. From the very first sentence, Glass asserts her prowess and control of language, showing remarkable restraint in molding the most powerful images ... The alliteration and assonance shape prose that demands the reader’s attention as they enter the world of the story and trust that the author is going to guide them through it carefully—if not safely. The beauty of Glass’ language is that it balances more than just sounds and images; it balances insight and instability, and the ways that the two complement each other ... Peach’s story ... is a haunting melody of the little truths we notice when everything else feels like a lie.
Emma Glass
RaveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksIn Peach, Glass’ characters become her patients, and we experience the world through Peach’s eyes. Peach’s need is to be believed, to be seen. And Glass gives her center stage ... The attention to detail and organic sound in individual syllables, twining and weaving in a mesmerizing dance, is unmistakably potent in Peach. From the very first sentence, Glass asserts her prowess and control of language, showing remarkable restraint in molding the most powerful images... The alliteration and assonance shape prose that demands the reader’s attention as they enter the world of the story and trust that the author is going to guide them through it carefully — if not safely ... Peach’s story is one of survival and adaptability and the ways that we change when all we want to do is stay normal. It is a haunting melody of the little truths we notice when everything else feels like a lie.
Caroline Leavitt
RaveThe Washington Independent Review of Books...a breathtaking novel about the lengths people will go to to discover and recover love ... It is about what you do when that part of yourself is ripped away, what you do in order to move on, to find solace and forgiveness and start living again. Leavitt’s story is that invitation to start again.
