"One of those rare, invigorating books that take an apparently familiar world and peer into it with ruthless intimacy, revealing a strange and startling place." –
The New York Times Book Review "Strout's insights into the complex psychology bewteen [mother and daughter] result in a poignant tale about two coming of age." –
Time "Impressive....Strout writes with abundant warmth." –
People "Poignant...sensitively imagined...[
Amy and Isabelle] recalls the elgegiac charm of
Our Town." –
The Christian Science Monitor "Stunning....Every once in a while, a novel comes along that plunges deep into your psyche, leaving you breathless....This year that novel is
Amy and Isabelle." –
San Francisco Chronicle "A novel of shining integrity and humor, about the bravery and hard choices of what is called ordinary life." –Alice Munro
"Excellent....Strout's collective portrait...remains unflaggingly engaging....[W]hat a pleasure to gain entry into the world of this book." –
The New Yorker "Lovely, powerful...a kind if modern 'Rapunzel.'" –
Newsweek "
Amy and Isabelle is an impressive debut....with an expansiveness and inventiveness that is the mark of a true storyteller." –
The Philadelphia Inquirer