"Suzan-Lori Parks is a terrific writer whose characters don't so much talk to us as sing, full-throated, of their joys and miseries."
–Richard Russo, author of
Empire Falls "A cheerful tack across deep Faulknerian waters."
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The New York Times Book Review "The kind of story that sneaks up on you and makes you care about the characters and what happens to them."
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USA Today "Even minor characters are vivid and unforgettable. . . . [The] chorus of voices . . . tells the interwoven story of Willa Mae and her daughter with such flair and harmony that I was compelled to keep reading
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–The Washington Post "Of course Suzan-Lori Parks can write a mean patch of dialogue . . . but the real treat here is watching Parks experiment with setting. . . . [She is] a master of pitch and mood."
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Entertainment Weekly "With material steeped in the dark side of American history and a rare gift for the vernacular, [Parks is] the sort of provocateur one might get by crossing William Faulkner with Richard Pryor. . . . Parks's dialogue rings ribald and jazzy."
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Vogue A splendid and joyous American novel."
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Elle "There's jazz and spunk in the writing here, tremendous humor that ultimately yields to tenderness."
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Book magazine