From Booklist
*Starred Review* Stuck in a nightmare of unpaid bills, dwindling bank accounts, and leaky roofs, unemployed art-history professor Kit Noonan needs a jolt. Convinced that deep-seated identity issues are fueling Kit’s inertia-inducing depression, his wife urges him to find the identity of his biological father, a fact his otherwise loving mother refuses to divulge. To solve the mystery, Kit embarks on a journey that takes him across the northeastern U.S., starting with a visit to his gruff and outdoorsy stepfather’s home, and ending with a revelation that transforms his life in ways he could never imagine. Woven throughout the narrative are flashbacks to key events in Kit’s history, including the tender and beautifully told story of the relationship between Kit’s mother and father. Divided into sections written from the perspective of key characters, Glass explores the pain of family secrets, the importance of identity, and the ultimate meaning of family. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Although Glass borrows characters from her National Book Award–winning Three Junes, it is not necessary to have read that previous book to enjoy this lovely, highly readable, and thought-provoking novel. --Kerri Price
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
“Winner of the National Book Award for her 2002 debut,
Three Junes, Julia Glass takes another sympathetic look at the complexities of contemporary life in this novel about family secrets. . . Examining complicated family relationships among several families whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways, this warm and engaging story about what it means to be a father will appeal to most readers.” —
Library Journal “Glass explores the pain of family secrets, the importance of identity, and the ultimate meaning of family . . . HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY:
Although Glass borrows characters from her National Book Award–winning
Three Junes, it is not necessary to have read that previous book to enjoy this lovely, highly readable, and thought-provoking novel.” —
Booklist, starred review
The Widower’s Tale
“Beautifully sensitive . . .
The Widower’s Tale is about the rub between old values and new times . . . In the tradition of
Jane Eyre, it builds to a conflagration, a crisis that shakes everyone out of their complacency. But Glass quickly smothers the flames of catastrophe, for her vision is essentially more hopeful than tragic.” —
Los Angeles Times “A satisfyingly clear-eyed and compassionate view of American entitlement and its fallout . . . [Glass] approaches the ties of kinship with the same joyfully disruptive spirit that animated her previous books.” —
The New York Times Book Review “A masterful exploration of the secret places of the human heart.” —
Richmond Times-Dispatch I See You Everywhere
“Glass is the Edith Wharton for the twenty-first century.” —
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Rich, intricate, and alive with emotion . . . An honest portrait of sister-love . . . Brave and forgiving.” —
The New York Times Book Review The Whole World Over
“Beautiful and satisfying, chock-full of the gorgeous, heartbreaking stuff that makes life worth living.” —
The Rocky Mountain News “A voluptuous treat.” —
Entertainment Weekly Three Junes
“Enormously accomplished . . . Rich, absorbing, and full of life.”—
The New Yorker “Radiant . . . An intimate literary triptych of lives pulled together and torn apart.” —
Chicago Tribune “Almost threatens to burst with all the life it contains. Glass’s ability to illuminate and deepen the mysteries of her characters’ lives is extraordinary.” —Michael Cunningham, author of
The HoursFrom the Hardcover edition. See all Editorial Reviews