"Thrilling . . . a living, sharp, and memorable book. . . . An exact, candid, and penetrating account of personal terror and bereavement . . . sometimes quite funny because it dares to tell the truth."
–Robert Pinsky,
The New York Times Book Review "Stunning candor and piercing details. . . . An indelible portrait of loss and grief."
–Michiko Kakutani,
The New York Times "I can't think of a book we need more than hers. . . . I can't imagine dying without this book."
–John Leonard,
New York Review of Books "Achingly beautiful. . . . We have come to admire and love Didion for her preternatural poise, unrivaled eye for absurdity, and Orwellian distaste for cant. It is thus a difficult, moving, and extraordinarily poignant experience to watch her direct such scrutiny inward."
–Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
Los Angeles Times "An act of consummate literary bravery, a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief. . . . It also skips backward in time [to] call up a shimmering portrait of her unique marriage. . . . To make her grief real, Didion shows us what she has lost."
–Lev Grossman,
Time