"Lively conjures up rich colour and feeling so sensuously, but austerely, confining herself for the most part to simple words and taut syntax."
"Penelope Lively is perhaps best known for her Booker-winning MOON TIGER. . .This, written. . .with a searing and entirely contemporary eye, should be rated as one of her most impressive works."
"Delightful . . . complex and exquisite. Penelope Lively's prose is beautiful and spare and she is a master of understatement."
"A fluent, funny, ultimately moving romance in which lovers share centre stage with Lively's persuasive meditations on history and fate. . .a book of great charm with a real intellectual resonance at its core."
"One of Britain's most talented and experienced writers. The closer you look the more mystery you see."
"Start reading this absorbing novel and I promise you the toast will burn and the kettle will boil dry. Don’t, whatever you do, put it down for one second because someone will pinch it."
"Startling and soothing, uncommonly paced, this is a book to treasure.. . Three cheers for this gorgeous writing."
"To read Penelope Lively's book is like slipping into the finest cashmere: beautifully woven, fluid and expensive. Once experienced, it is impossible to enjoy inferior materials."
"A tour de force . . , Lively has rediscovered the form with this superb collection."
