This is a masterclass in the art of reading.

Wood is the most engaging of current commentators on literature.

Impressive breadth of reading (especially contemporary East Europeans here) and perceptively close attention to texts.

It is a pleasure to follow his education and learn something in turn.

The gift of the great critic is to be able to explain complex concepts to the reader in a manner that is neither bamboozling nor patronising... Wood has this gift.

Shot through with his characteristic light humour and moral seriousness, each expertly constructed paragraph rich with metaphorical insight.

The minor flaws here, then, are reassurance that Wood is merely one of the finest critics around.

All these essays are shot through with his characteristic light humour and moral seriousness, each expertly constructed paragraph rich with metaphorical insight.

This is a book that's impossible to read without gaining a greater appreciation of what it means to write well, both in the case of the work under review and, just as pleasurably, the reviews themselves

A passionate and instructive case for great writing.

A source of continuous enjoyment.

The Fun Stuff displays the steely verve that makes James Wood's criticism thrilling for literature specialists and general readers alike.

This collection is, as the title suggests, a lot of fun. Even when you disagree with his judgements, it's impossible not to be dazzled by the breadth of his reading.

[A] seriously enjoyable collection of essays by the New Yorker's resident literary critic

James Wood writes superbly about writing

This scintillating collection offers trenchant analysis and original insight into the works of a wide range of important writers

Viewed through Wood's eyes, even the best-known novels appear before us looking naked and strange

[Wood's] encyclopaedic knowledge and compact, energetic prose makes him an illuminating and acerbic guide to literary giants

[Wood] delivers some golden insights

[Wood's] insight into writing is impressive and the sheer joy that he takes in others' literary dexterity is infectious

A panoramic look at the modern novel

Mark Haddon’s latest is his most mature work to date. It’s mature in terms of both content and style, and reading The Red House there’s a sense that this ‘growing up’ is quite purposely Haddon’s intention. An effortlessly engrossing and richly rewarding read.

It's an old saying that you choose your friends but not your family and the family reunion has been well-used in literature, but Haddon breathes new life into it. He's never shied away from the difficult subjects and he deals sensitively with a child's burgeoning homosexuality but his real skill, his genius is in his understanding of mental problems, that disassociation between the mind and the brain. It's a book which is so right in every small detail but a gem when taken altogether.

The book gave me the ever-changing, fascinating and the feeling that I was looking through a looking glass. The eight of them have their own secrets, longings and resentments which only make them as human as you and I. The writing zips in montages and sometimes it becomes difficult to figure who is carrying the baton, though once you get used to the writing, it isn’t difficult to figure. The language and symbolism is weaved very well for a story of a dysfunctional family. In some parts, it almost reminded me of Faulkner’s, “The Sound and the Fury”. The Red House by Mark Haddon is a rollercoaster of emotions and all it works surprisingly well and all adds up at the end of the book. I would definitely and most certainly recommend this read for the long summer weekend that comes up.

Haddon can marry extraordinary perception with uncluttered language... He also burrows into the minds of his protagonists with astute precision

It looks like Mark Haddon is about to have a great big success all over again

Brilliantly readable… Comic and bittersweet

A closely observed domestic drama…

Characteristically original, deftly observed...

A beautifully orchestrated novel that gently questions how we define success

[Haddon] shows a knack for portraying family dynamics…

Mark Haddon proves himself a master of the domestic drama

Gripping drama