"Minot’s prose possesses a thrilling eloquence, a heartbreaking clarity."–Newsday
"Not since J. D. Salinger has an American writer so feelingly evoked the special affections and loyalties that may develop among children in a large family."–The New York Times Book Review
"Striking and original…. Minot chronicles the mundane and miraculous moments that characterize family life, in prose that is exactingly realistic, yet delicately lyrical…. Few novels have so powerfully displayed the collective unity–and joy–of family life."–Chicago Tribune
"Susan Minot’s funny, wry and profoundly moving novel of a large and gawky family in Massachusetts is full of quiet surprises…. Minot is masterful at showing us the chaos of a young family forming and reforming itself. But it is the absolute simplicity of her observation–always selective, often eccentric–that astounds us for its clarity time after time."–San Francisco Chronicle