RaveThe Kenyon Review\"What makes A View of the Empire at Sunset exemplary in its exploration of [several] controversial issues is Phillips’s nuanced and sensitive portrayal of the painful and haunting life of his central character, a woman who led a nonconforming life characterized by displacement, muddled identity, and precarious belonging ... Ultimately, A View of the Empire at Sunset is a delicate yet penetrating exploration ... If historical fiction is always an allegory for the present age in which it is written, Phillips’s latest novel has touched the ailing heart of our deeply troubled culture and society at large.\
