PositiveWashington Independent Review of Books\"... there is a rash of cohorts from all corners of Ivan and Prue’s various realms — a few too many, perhaps, to keep straight ... What pulls The Study of Animal Languages toward its unexpectedly satisfactory conclusion (though not a by-the-book happy ending) is a series of false steps that require Prue and Ivan to face inner truths that neither character had thought silently to themselves, let alone proclaimed aloud to each other ... Thankfully, author Stern has skillfully provided a true understanding of how missteps and mistakes can lead to clarity, honesty, and relief — the happiest ending of all.\
Allegra Goodman
MixedThe Washington Independent Review of BooksHow The Chalk Artist’s characters make sense of their shifting worlds is at the center of Goodman’s tale, as each person uncomfortably bumps into his or her opposite. There’s the mother who fears for her son’s future as a gaming addict, and the mother who is cautiously optimistic that her son has found an outlet for his creative talents that includes a 401(k) plan … In the end, The Chalk Artist feels not entirely concluded, but more like a midpoint in a collection of ongoing narratives. Despite the threads left dangling, Goodman provides two of her characters with the sense that being acknowledged, heard, encouraged, and appreciated is the best prize of all, for both the giver and the recipient.
