"Few English novelists have written with more might and assurance."

--The Spectator

"A delicate and truly touching story ... horribly true to life."

--Robert Garioch, The Listener

"King is a writer's writer, his voice is utterly convincing."

--Beryl Bainbridge

"One of the finest and most remarkable of English novelists of our time."

--The Scotsman

"He deserves the widest possible readership."

--Melvyn Bragg, Punch

"No one writes better prose than Francis King."

--Ruth Rendell

"Witty, poignant, socially and internationally telling, it traps the tragi-comic essence of love that not merely isn't but can't be reciprocated."

--Brigid Brophy

"Wryly tender and painful . . . He is writing about love in all its aspects of greed, devotion, happiness and loss."

--Janice Elliott, Sunday Telegraph

"The author investigates his chosen examples of emotional blight with sympathy, precision, and immense skill."

--The Evening Standard

"His writing is like fine china ... This book's strength is its dark stab of feeling."

--Philip Norman, The Sunday Times

"[Francis King's] writing is always accomplished and elegant."

--A. S. Byatt

"A most accomplished writer who commands both deftness and feeling."

--Christopher Wordsworth, The Guardian

"Francis King commands a noteworthy talent; he is one of a number of contemporary British novelists who deserve the best attention here."

--The New York Herald Tribune Book Review

"Master of a subtle, melancholy style, rich and understated."

--Roxanna Robinson, The New York Times Book Review