Journalist and first-time novelist Cadwalladr examines themes of nature vs. nurture, and destiny, in this look at three generations of a British family, told from the viewpoint of the most recent generation's Rebecca Monroe, a pop culture researcher whose mother committed suicide.
Critic Reviews
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Outstanding
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Daily Telegraph Julia Flynn
Three-generation family sagas are two a penny; but here is one which not only gives the saga format a patina of intellectualism, but encompasses many moods. The prose has a conversational ease, but there is no mistaking the sophistication of the writing.
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Outstanding
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Kirkus Reviews
Despite Rebecca's light, self-mocking tone, this isn't chick-lit. It's women's literature ready to take on the men--and a wonderful read at that.
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Outstanding
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Publishers Weekly
[The] utterly winning tale of one lovable, dysfunctional family.
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Favorable
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Library Journal Barbara Love
[A] promising debut, which effortlessly combines pathos and humor.
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Favorable
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Booklist Misha Stone
This strong and plucky debut, reminiscent of Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995), marks the arrival of a singular novelist who uses wit, insight, and even cultural criticism to explore one young woman's understanding of her family and herself.
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Favorable
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Entertainment Weekly Jennifer Reese
Cadwalladr has produced an ambitious book, packed with likable, funny characters. [24 Dec. 2004, p. 72]
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Favorable
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The New York Times Book Review Patricia T. O'Connor
This is an ambitious debut by a novelist with a wicked sense of humor. I look forward to Cadwalladr's next book.
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Favorable
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Washington Post Susan Adams
Cadwalladr has written an inventive, touching book that offers a new take on the debate between nature and nurture.
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Mixed
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Daily Telegraph Phil Baker
Much of it is not funny, or funny only in the most flinch-inducing way, although Cadwalladr has a distinctively female comic voice - a sort of winsome bitterness - that easily modulates into something more serious.
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Mixed
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San Francisco Chronicle Summer Block
Well-plotted action, clever asides and thought-provoking social commentary. But like too many of her contemporaries, she allows her male characters to fall absolutely flat.
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Mixed
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The Independent Catherine Taylor
Much of the writing is engaging, and Cadwalladr has real talent and a particular gift for comedy. Let's hope that with her next book she is less clumsy when disentangling the seriousness from the spoof.
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Unfavorable
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Wall Street Journal Stephen Barbara
The embittered tone of the book will leave readers weary.
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