"[Lamb] knows just how to let the details of a tragedy unfold without decoration or commentary. He's a master at the kind of direct, unadorned narrative that brings these events alive in all their visceral power. . . . This portrayal of a couple dealing with the asymmetrical effects of trauma is Lamb at his best, wholly sympathetic, deeply moving." -- Ron Charles, Washington Post Book World

"Lamb's narrative . . . quickly pulls the reader into the lives of its characters. . . . Lamb casts a wide net and hauls back themes both grand and personal. . . . Lamb is exceptional in his exploration of the direct and indirect impacts of survivor guilt." -- Robin Vidimos, Denver Post

"The Hour I First Believed is a moving, sprawling story that seesaws between hope and despair." -- Boston Globe

"Lamb . . . has delivered a tour de force, his best yet." -- Entertainment Weekly

"An embracing, troubling book that spans the Civil War to the present, filled with those other Lamb trademarks--a deep understanding of loss, tempered by compassion, big-heartedness, and that most necessary quality, humor." -- Susan Larson, New Orleans Times-Picayune

"A page-turner. . . . Lamb remains a storyteller at the top of his game." -- Craig Wilson, USA Today

"Profound and moving. . . . The beauty of The Hour I First Believed, a soaring novel as amazingly graceful as the classic hymn that provides the title, is that Lamb never loses sight of the spark of human resilience. . . . Lamb's wonderful novel offers us the promise and power of hope." -- Connie Ogle, Miami Herald

"Too compelling to put down . . . a richly textured story . . . moving, funny, and completely unpredictable." -- Gail Pennington, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Every character is rendered with vivid, utterly convincing depth. . . . A heck of a page-turner." -- Dallas Morning News

"Lamb does an extraordinary job narrating some of the most terrifying tragedies of the past 10 years. . . . This is an epic journey that ponders the inexplicable nature of tragedy and its terrible repercussions. Through the chaos, Lamb reveals a quiet thread of hope. Grade: A." -- Ashley Simpson Shires, Rocky Mountain News

"It's part picaresque, part Russian novel, part mystery...ambitious...Caelum is an unusual, provocative character, neither a hero nor an antihero but a regular guy experiencing both the tragic and the absurd. His tone is by turns funny, irritating, depressive and sentimental--which is to say, recognizably human." -- Louisa Thomas, New York Times Book Review

"Lamb, a maestro of orchestrating emotion . . . knows how to make his fans' hearts sing." -- Corrie Pikul, Elle

"Wally Lamb is a remarkable talent." -- Columbus Dispatch

"Lamb has crafted another affecting, engrossing tome about complicated, interesting characters." -- Cherie Parker, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A soaring novel as amazingly graceful as the classic hymn that provides the title" -- Miami Herald

"Wally Lamb is a remarkable talent... In his latest novel, he nimbly weaves real events, especially the Columbine school shootings, with the fictional story of Caelum Quirk." -- Alan Johnson, Columbus Dispatch

"Every character is rendered with vivid, utterly convincing depth...The Hour I First Believed is, at heart, a study of character and society and how they mold one another, but under Mr. Lamb's incandescent stewardship, it's also a thriller and a heck of a page-turner." -- Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News

"What a comfort to get lost in Lamb's characters.... [Lamb's] pacing is superb: Sections of the story expand to accommodate a mix of characters, yet scenes don't linger overlong." -- Janet Okoben, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Lamb does an extraordinary job narrating some of the most terrifying tragedies of the past 10 years....an epic journey. Grade: A." -- Rocky Mountain News

"When you put Lamb's newest novel down, it will be reluctantly. It's that good...Lamb is a writer to be envied...he gives birth to characters so unforgettable they become part of his readers' psyche." -- Knoxville News-Sentinel

"Weaving the various storylines into something beautiful and rewarding took great skill--something Wally Lamb has in spades." -- Santa Cruz Sentinel

"A rich and sprawling story." -- Anne Stephenson, Arizona Republic

"This epic novel (700-plus pages) is a profound meditation on how, against all odds, lives derailed by chaos are filled with hope once again." -- Hallmark Magazine

"The Hour I First Believed is a nuanced, multi-level and omni-dimensional story...It's a wonderful, honest book." -- The Day