Given Day "As Good As It Gets"

Dennis Lehane's forthcoming novel, THE GIVEN DAY, received two starred reviews this week!

Booklist says:

Lehane masterfully blends his stories of human tragedy and hope with the larger cultural and political conflict in which the action unfolds, and while the comparisons to contemporary life are unavoidable, they arise on their own, without authorial intervention. Like E. L. Doctorow in Ragtime, Lehane captures the sense of a country coming of age, vividly dramatizing how the conflicting emotions and tortured dreams that drive individual human lives also send a nation roiling forward.

Library Journal chimes in with a statement that we wholeheartedly agree with: "Lehane's long-awaited eighth novel is as good as it gets. Enthusiastically recommended for all fiction collections."

Read the entire reviews here.

The Times' Cure For Summer Boredom

Today's New York Times highlighted Nellie Hermann's THE CURE FOR GRIEF in a roundup of new releases that "take on somber subjects like isolation, grief and suffering, but thankfully...offer a bit of solace too."

Shining At The Sun-Times

The Chicago Sun-Times calls Nellie Hermann's THE CURE FOR GRIEF "a shining debut" and "fine writing."

More nice things here.

The Cure For Grief Just In Time!

Time magazine reviews Nellie Hermman's THE CURE FOR GRIEF, saying that "for a first-time novelist, Hermann is remarkably sure-footed." The lovely review concludes:

The calamities that strike Hermann's characters might be outtakes from the Book of Job, but she renders them with an emotional acuity that makes them believable. And though the shifts in perspective that frame the novel may seem gimmicky, the rhythmic quality of the prose never falters. As for the bleak title, it will surprise the reader to find that, for Ruby at least, there is a cure for grief. It is hard won, yes--but, in Hermann's telling, it's worth the winning.

You can find the whole review here.

Oprah Thinks House And Home Is Fantastic!

O At Home's summer issue lists HOUSE AND HOME as one of four "fantastic summer reads" that are "some of the most engrossing books this season..." and "tempting fodder for whiling away lazy afternoons at the beach."

Better listen to Oprah and get your copy today!

Elle Reviews Nellie Hermman's Debut

Elle reviews Nellie Hermann's THE CURE FOR GRIEF in its September issue, calling Hermann a "lyrical archivist" and says "what stands out is Hermann's thoughtful witnessing and her steadfast will to cope with all she sees."

Read the full review, as well as others, here.

Bloggers On House And Home

Even before her virtual book tour, Kathleen McCleary is getting a lot of attention in the literary blog world!

Books on the Brain highly recommends HOUSE AND HOME, and Planet Books "loved" the novel, calling it "rich, beautifully detailed and heart-filled...."

Books and Cooks says it's a "beautifully written story" and "[she] enjoyed this book very much and liked the writing style of this first time author."

Breaking the Spine says the book had the best first page [she's] read in a long time."