Threads of romance, social comment, country lore and intrigue both above and below stairs are cunningly worked together to create a brilliant tapestry... I have seldom enjoyed a book so much

Colegate has found a perfect metaphor for the passing of a way of life

A modern classic

A minor masterpiece

Extraordinary . . . combines a luminous delicacy of observation with raw emotional power to haunting effect

Vivid and exciting . . . Dunmore creates a beautiful sense of stillness . . . she conveys a passion for Finland's icy landscape

Beautifully written . . . a story about us all

'Sharp, painfully honest, and as funny as it is heartbreaking. I literally couldn't put it down'

Utterly brilliant.

In this interesting inversion of the wicked stepmother story the reader's sympathy is instantly engaged . . . Considerablr darker than its racy, pacy style suggests.

'I read in one sitting . . . A triumph.'

A must for...any guilt-ridden, wicked stepmothers out there . . . Clever, honest...and very funny.

Gripping ... Both candid and comic.'

Ayelet Waldman isn't afraid to shock people. Quite the reverse. Her declaration last year that she loves her husband more than her children caused an international outcry and catapulted her on to Oprah Winfrey's show to defend herself. Her controversial new novel about the fractured state of family life looks set to do the same ... Honest, touching and acutely observed, it is impossible to put down. One moment I was laughing out loud...while the next I had tears pouring down my face ... But it's the growing relationship between Emilia and her stepson that forms the heart of this tale. Whether you're a parent or not, you can't fail to be moved by it.

·'Ayelet Waldman is an uplifting discovery: a fantastically enjoyable new writer with no pretensions and a genuine story-telling gift . . . An absolute delight . . . A light-hearted and human book that touches on crashing emotions with a combination of tenderness and irreverence.'

·'Ayelet Waldman...has made it her mission to combat what she called "the perfect mother myth." . . . provocative and often rashly frank . . . Her literary models are Sue Miller and Dani Shapiro . . . shares some of British writer Rachel Cusk's acerbic wit . . . Can be gobbled up in just a sitting or two, zipping along toward its dependably cathartic climax.'

'Compelling and artfully drawn . . . Emilia's voice is terrific - sharp, witty, funny, resilient, sarcastic, passionate and very angry.'

A moving and darkly funny read . . . Romantic, shocking and sometimes painful page-turner . . . says something new and interesting about women, families and love.

A very good, very funny writer ... The perfect book for anyone who doesn't already know that motherhood is the hardest job in the world.

Funny and painful. Will strke a chord with anyone who is a member of a family.