Alice Hoffman is erotic and romantic, funny and clever and humane

Alice Hoffman is a daring and able writer; she plots conjunctions of mundane and magical events with such ease that the reader never doubts her word

Like her contemporaries, Carol Shields and Alice Munro, Hoffman has an acute eye for detail - Hoffman writes with heartbreaking clarity

[Hoffman] does it beautifully, composing a lyrical tale that does not waster a single word, a shamelessly heart-breaking story that will leave barely a dry eye in the house

Enchanting

It's easy to get absorbed in this novel...Life is not like this, but would it be such a bad thing if there were a it more magic in the world?

Hoffman delivers one of the best plot twists I can remember

Hoffman is a skilled and experienced writer... beautifully constructed

A strangely provocative, grown-up fairy fable

Cuts deeply into the griefs and passions that shape us all and into heartbreaking secrets

Emotionally compelling

Hoffman writes as beautifully as ever

Hoffman knows that good fairytales, like people, are never simple

Beautifully written, mystical and intriguing, this is a story of life, death, love and second chances. Enthralling