Nafisa Haji has written a moving meditation on the meaning of family, tradition, and the ties that bind. The Writing on My Forehead is lyrical and touching. It is a story of mother and daughters, and a story of a young Muslim woman at crossroads, shaped by the forces of her past, her religion, her roots, her culture, and her own determined will

Impressive ... Haji achieves an effortless commingling of family and social history in this intricate story that connects a young woman and her family over continents and through generations

A superb debut ... Deeply moving and involving

Compelling ... An impressive debut

Haji deftly positions her appealing heroine as witness to her family's history . . . A masterful first novel

A vicious, furious book...it is also horribly funny and unflinchingly honest

Another furious tirade from the most powerful and objectionable novelist currently writing... The directness of his fiction makes his contemporaries seem beside the point... Great writing

Unnerving, hilarious and sad

An erotic masterpiece, The Dying Animal confirms Roth As America's president of sexual politics

Margaret Atwood throws a handful of theatrical glittery confetti over Shakespeare's The Tempest ... A compelling tale of a bereaved father -- haunted by the memory of his lost daughter -- who learns to face up to "the plain, unvarnished grime of real life", transforming it into something buoyant, resonant and hopeful

Atwood at her bewitching best

A wonder... a work of genius... a sheer delight... In this shimmering tale that celebrates Shakespeare's tricky genius, his immortal reach, Atwood has given us something for everyone

A slyly inventive, intricately constructed homage with plenty of its own points to make

An inventive riff on Shakespeare's last solo play... done with gusto and extravaganza... gives the old play, yet again, new life

Hag-Seed is the fourth novel in Hogarth's Shakespeare series marking the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death, and by far the best. Everything in the play has a place in the novel -- and it's a ripping yarn too

Atwood's superlative retelling of The Tempest owes as much to Machiavelli as to Shakespeare. It is another outstanding contribution to the Hogarth Shakespeare series ... With a motley crew of inmates, a creative lexicon of Shakespearean-style oaths and the mischievous antics of a modern-day Ariel, this reimagining of The Tempest imbues the spirit of the original with an energetic and poetic transformation. A thoroughly engrossing take on a timeless classic

Funny and dark, Hag-Seed is as clever and full of layers as Shakespeare's original. The Bard would be proud

Hag-Seed, Margaret Atwood's exhilarating reworking of the play for the Hogarth Shakespeare series, mixes high drama, deep feeling and wild fun... in a story that is both realistic and otherworldly

[A] wry, clever romp… Atwood knows the play, is sharp as nails and sees the potential in theatre harnessing our Brave New World of computer technology.

An absolute triumph… Among the most intelligent and inspiring readings of The Tempest… I am sorry that the publishers didn’t ask Atwood to reimagine all 37 plays.

It's all great fun, full of wit and invention and incident… And Hag-Seed is very funny, very often. The scenes where Felix's hard-chaw prisoners insult each other strictly through Shakespearean language are especially enjoyable.

Hag-Seed is funny and poignant, and offers much to amuse and delight.

Great fun, full of wit and invention and incident

Inspired and witty

Genuinely moving ... The tender way in which Atwood handles [Felix's] story really gives Hag-Seed its power

Atwood on mischievous form

Witty and clever

Stella Loves: Taking on a re-write of Shakespeare's The Tempest is a tall order. But Margaret Atwood is well up to the task with her new novel Hag-Seed

Blows layers of dust off the play while asking clever questions about the relationship between power, delusion and creativity

A delight... not only an unputdownable tale of revenge, it is also a masterclass in how to teach Shakespeare to those who think they won't like it

Atwood’s canny remix offers multiple pleasures: seeing the inmates’ takes on their characters, watching Felix make use of the limited resources the prison affords (legal and less so), and marveling at the ways she changes, updates, and parallels the play’s magic, grief, vengeance, and showmanship

So inventive, heartfelt, and swiftly rendered... Highly recommended.

Fellow fans, I am thrilled to report: Atwood is just as brilliant as ever. I would suggest scheduling some cozy armchair time with her book in the weeks to come

The new novels promise an intriguing opportunity to revisit the tales we know so well and see them in a new light.

Atwood joins the roll call of literary stars retelling Shakespeare's plays... masterful... My favourite retelling so far

An ingenious construction.

She merely understands that fiction can be a powerful weapon of
persuasion… A woman with inexhaustible talents

[A] triumphant reworking of The Tempest.

Atwood’s take on The Tempest is intense and extravagant… Atwood beautifully reimagine Shakespeare’s The Tempest… She writes with gusto and brilliance.

Hag-Seed enchants, endears and empowers. Seeing The Tempest through the cast of characters Atwood creates and the author's own overarching narrative gives the original play new life.

Atwood beautifully reimagines Shakespeare's The Tempest as Felix's personal and professional stories so aptly mirror the plot of the mystical and magical play. She writes with gusto and brilliance, making her the dream author to be part of the Shakespeare series.

The most successful 'retelling' of Shakespeare yet in Hogarth's anniversary series [...] us a thrilling revenge drama ... [It] rattles along with Atwood nimbly reworking the classic

[Atwood's] unique take on vengeance, enchantment and second chances is sure to delight old and new fans alike

A novel of great humour and creativity

A fitting tribute to a play built on magic and illusion. It’s a celebration of theatre, yes, but just as much a celebration of learning and teaching. Atwood’s spellbinding adaptation is a testament to Shakespeare’s lasting relevance.

Atwood’s novel reflects the play’s multifaceted nature… A fun and imaginative novel.

Atwood unrolls a dazzling remake of The Tempest… Ebullient comedy and keen perceptiveness combine in a bravura fictional tribute to Shakespeare.

A passionately original, heady, often musical modern remix.

I’d love to wake up on Christmas morning with Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed nestled in my stocking.

[A] highlight.

[Hag-Seed is] particularly clever and witty, with layer upon layer of correspondences with the original text waiting to be teased out by readers.

What’s impressive here is not just 77-year-old Atwood’s undimmed brilliance but the sheer effort she puts into the project… An absorbing read but also an erudite examination and explanation of the play’s themes. Not to be missed.

[It] would make an amazing Christmas present.

Atwood brings forth a cast of characters that comfortably inhabit their own world but often burst out of the page in song and rhyme. It is a playful piece of writing, tempered by grief and revenge and the bitterness that can consume, but ultimately this is a book full of the joys of redemption and hope. Wonderful.

Cleverly done… Very complex, like a set of Russian dolls. But it works amazingly well.

Delightfully crazy.

Rich and inventive… The play-within-a-play tripe is audaciously Shakespearean, and so is Atwood’s free-ranging imagination and witty way with language.

Masterful… Clever, funny and tender

She casts The Tempest adrift in a prison and makes a magisterial case for the timeless, classless relevance of Shakespeare’s plays.

I am in awe of Atwood

A real must read