Magnificent

Deliciously funny and sharply observed

Wise and funny...a multidimensional exploration of what it means to belong, not only to a family but also to a nation

Out of this everyday material she spins gold: stories so achingly truthful, so achingly funny, so sad and so real that you can only marvel

Anne Tyler draws a comedy that is not so much brilliant as luminous – its observant sharpness sweetened by a generous understanding of human fallibility

The view from America may be darkening, but Anne Tyler's new novel sheds a warm light on the ordinary human needs and actions that shore up American ideals of ethnic integration, neighbourliness and family values

Out of this everyday material she spins gold: stories so achingly truthful, so achingly funny, so sad and so real that you can only marvel...her trademark blend of observant comedy and tragedy, and her window into the human heart, are gloriously apparent

There can hardly be a more American 20th-century writer than Anne Tyler. Anyone who has grown up with her books…has by now become familiar with her unflashy mastery of the national idiom, her dour whimsy, her tapestries of suffocating families

Anne Tyler draws a comedy that is not so much brilliant as luminous - its observant sharpness sweetened by a generous understanding of human fallibility. So sure is her tone, so graceful her style, that the reader absorbs without literary indigestion a narrative constructed almost entirely of grand set pieces of domestic comedy... Articulated in her fine-grained prose, the pure kindliness of her finale expresses something of the forgotten goodness of the American dream

A magnificent piece of character drawing

Digging to America is another superb novel, warm-hearted and funny

A return to form by a great writer...beautifully done

A small exquisitely painted canvas. Don't miss it

Keen-eyed and funny

There is so much truth here, as Tyler strips away the issue of ethnic difference to reach the heart of her complex and compelling matter

Warm and optimistic, this story about adoption raises issues of belonging and identity

Tyler possesses a remarkable ability to render the ordinary extraordinary, which makes reading her work like tucking into tea and cake on a cosy Sunday afternoon

Full of excruciatingly comic set-pieces, this is an immensely satisfying, yet subtle, read

Tenderly observed and lifted by humour, Digging to America is a complex novel that asks if anyone can ever truly fit in. In answering that question Ms Tyler has woven her magic once again

As in her previous books, the writing here makes for wholesome, comforting fare, spiced as always with urbane wit and a knack for nailing the small truths behind fine details

In Digging to America, Tyler exhibits her knack for softening the sharp edges of human contact, showing people with smudges of vulnerability on their faces as they dig toward each other

Her prose is at once unpretentious and elegiac, like a photograph by Dorothea Lange, and her imagery has staying power

Deft and wise prose... [Tyler's] skill at turning everyday occurrences into amazing storytelling gets better and better

Redemptive

Black Cake is such an engaging novel. The structure works brilliantly with its dual narrative and short, sharp chapters. As I read, I felt like I could taste the sweet and spice of the black cake that links generations of the same family. Wilkerson's Black Cake is filled with secrets, family ties and hidden desires. It is an extremely satisfying read that stays with you long after the final page. As moreish as its title. If you want to be transported, read this book

A family drama meets murdery mystery

The perfect recipe for an epic family drama . . . Feuds, grief, and a murder make Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake unputdownable

One of the most feverishly anticipated debuts of the year

A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents

I really savoured this rich, layered family saga ... Charmaine's writing is subtle and lyrical, pulling you into a powerful story of secrets, roots and identity. The flavour of it will linger long after you've finished

An extraordinary debut

A sweeping story, with Wilkerson masterfully bringing together all the different threads, making social history the backbone of everything

Completely blew me away ... I loved the brilliant writing, the characters and the clever and beautiful way the story melded together ... this is a stunning book

Delving into ideas around identity, familial bonds and lifelong secrets, Black Cake looks to be a wildly moreish page-turner

Touching on racism and acceptance, betrayal and loyalty, this emotional, heartfelt debut explores the meaning of home and the family that define it

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that's nothing short of masterful

This emotional, heartfelt debut explores the meaning of home and the family that define it

A skilful debut about family secrets - and food

A wonderful immersive experience

A beautiful read - a real pageturner

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that's nothing short of masterful.

A resonant story of identity, family and the meaning of home

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson masterfully weaves social history into the backbone of the story

Prepare to be hooked

Impressive

A rich story around immigration and identity ... the novel beautifully captures the struggles of family and identity and the liberation that comes from those struggles

Engrossing . . . Wilkerson's brilliant descriptions are positively sumptuous for the mind's eye

An incredible family saga spanning 60 years, jumping across continents and time, forming a multi-layered book about secrets and inheritance

A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents, turning everything the siblings think they know about themselves and their family on its head'

A funny, big-hearted read

I adored this confident, witty portrait of an unforgettable woman and her time

One of the smartest and funniest novels to appear this year

We guarantee you will love this charming debut

This smart, uproarious, emotional page-turner...has been the year's runaway hit. Rightly so

Irresistible, a gorgeous tribute to resilience and the many types of love that sustain us

Sharp and deliciously readable. Brings bite as well as charm to the tale of a super-rational scientist navigating sexism in early 60s America.

The idiosyncratic wit of this year's blockbuster debut is instantly appealing, but it's also a narrative with real bite. Uplifting and irresistibly zany

I fell for Elizabeth Zott immediately. A wonderfully entertaining and empowering read

A wonderful novel - polished, pacy, funny, witty, warm, life-affirming, and thought-provoking

Witty and sometimes hilarious. The CATCH-22 of early feminism

Enchanting, clever, funny and packed with deeply engaging characters. I still think about it a lot

As with all the best stories, there is a timelessness to this book. One senses it will be read in ten or twenty years' time

Biting and cheering in exactly the right measure

The TV cook bit hooked me right in and it did not disappoint. This book is Charming, witty and clever