“Packer is a superb storyteller….The beauty comes from the rich characterizations that make each of the Blairs spring to life….I’ve rarely read a novel so astute about the jumble of love and respect, rivalry and envy, empathy and scorn that makes up family dynamics.”
— San Francisco Chronicle (read the full review)
“Mesmerizing…as intimate as a memoir.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune (read the full review)
“Compelling…a complex, textured tapestry…a gift to the reader.”
— Boston Globe (read the full review)
“Graceful, poignant…[a] warm, nuanced portrayal of a family and its foibles.”
— Miami Herald (read the full review)
“Psychologically astute…This is a novel with something to teach about forgiving the people we love.”
— Newsday (read the full review)
“Packer has great compassion for her characters, with their ancient injuries and blundering desires. The way she tangles their perspectives perfectly, painfully captures the tumult of selves within a family.”
— More Magazine
“What sets this novel apart…is how deeply and intimately [Packer’s] big, plot-rich canvas captures the Blair clan’s collective and individual yearnings and disappointments…. Packer’s golden touch makes us care that much more deeply for this memorable tribe.”
— Elle
“An artful portrait of a California family.”
— Vanity Fair
“A marvelously absorbing novel….Packer is an expert at complicated relationships; she likes to show more than two sides to every story….Emotions have never had so many shadings as in [her] fiction.”
— Kirkus Reviews (read the full review)
“Told in the most elegant prose…Packer fully captures the intimacy of this family’s life and, by extension, the way the children’s interactions impact their adult lives. A masterful portrait of indelible family bonds…[an] extraordinarily compassionate tale.”
— Booklist (read the full review)
“[Packer’s] characters are as real as those you might find around your dinner table. Readers will be taken with this vibrant novel.”
— Publishers Weekly (read the full review)