This is a tragic story with not a word wasted, raised to an elegiac level by Phillips's supple, controlled prose

A subtle and poignant novel... A fine and beautifully nuanced performance

A compassionate portrait of an enigmatic figure... Written with Phillips's trademark understated elegance

Phillips has brilliantly resurrected a bitter-sweet life... Without a doubt Phillips' most accomplished novel

Caryl Philips novel tells [Walker and William's story] with sensitivity and eloquence. He is a consummate storyteller...

A novel that the reader can sink into and enjoy...sketched vividly and sympathetically. A rewarding book.

Jean Plaidy, by the skilful blending of superb storytelling and meticulous attention to authenticity of detail and depth of charaterization has become one of the country's most widely read novelists

Joughin's second novel confirms her gift for mining tragi-comic gems from outposts of shabby bohemia

Joughin's poetic prose perfectly conveys the delicacy of human emotion, and the frequent disjunction between art and life'

Like a cross between Margaret Drabble and Francoise Sagan

Joughin has an appealing darkness and urgency, as she potently conveys the pleasures and pains of human interactions

Adeptly written and enjoyable... Ruth's childhood perspectives are extremely well captured

Striking story of Ruth and Gray under the spell of famous poets' lives

Reading Joughin's second novel is like immersing yourself in a cool pool at a hazy summer party ...as addictively abrasive as a shot of cold vodka, this wil leave you both refreshed and gasping for stability

This darkly comic story about unpredictable love is perfect if you're looking for some intelligent chicklit