Review:
Praise for "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry"
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"[Rachel] Joyce's beguiling debut is [a] modest-seeming story of 'ordinary' English lives that enthralls and moves you as it unfolds."--"People" (four stars)
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"[A] gorgeously poignant novel of hope and transformation.""--O: The Oprah Magazine"
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"A moving story about an ordinary man on an extraordinary journey."--Nancy Horan, author of "Loving Frank"
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""The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" is not just a book about lost love. It is about all the wonderful everyday things Harold discovers through the mere process of putting one foot in front of the other."--"The New York Times"
"[Rachel Joyce] has a lovely sense of the possibilities of redemption. . . . She's cleared space where miracles are still possible."--Ron Charles, "The Washington Post"
Advance praise for "Perfect"
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"Out of the smallest, most delicate building blocks, Rachel Joyce gradually builds a towering sense of menace. She understands people, in all their intricacy and vulnerability, in a way few writers do. "Perfect" is a poignant and powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing."--Tana French, bestselling author of "In the Woods" and "Broken Harbor"
"Joyce, showing the same talent for adroit plot development seen in the bestselling "The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry, " brings both narrative strands together in a shocking, redemptive denouement.""--Publishers Weekly"
Praise from the U.K.
"Readers who loved "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry "will not be disappointed."--"The Sunday Times"
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"Joyce is no novice--she has done something more ambitious, darker and more honest [than "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry"]."--"The Guardian"
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"A compelling novel about the crushing restrictions that class and gender can impose, the burden of parental expectation, and the stigma attached to mental illness . . . an affecting tale."--"The Independent"
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"If only there were more novelists like Rachel Joyce. . . . Diana herself is faultless. She is to "Perfect" what Harold Fry was to "Unlikely" a fully rounded hero, someone to fall in love with."--"The Telegraph"
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"You will end up grinning dippily and recommending this wild, searching book to everyone you know."--"The Times "(London)
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"["Perfect"'s] unputdownable factor . . . lies in its exploration of so many multilayered emotions. There is the unbreakable bond between mother and son, the fear of not belonging, loneliness, grief, guilt, depression, loss, the destructive nature of mental illness and how love can offer redemption. Although Joyce made her name as a playwright and gives great dialogue, it is her descriptive powers that make the novel so vivid."--"London Evening Stan
Praise for Rachel Joyce
"Perfect"
""Perfect" is a poignant and powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing."--Tana French, author of "In the Woods "and" Broken Harbor"
"[Rachel] Joyce, showing the same talent for adroit plot development seen in the bestselling "The Unlikely Pilgrimage""of Harold Fry, " brings both narrative strands together in a shocking, redemptive denouement.""--Publishers Weekly"
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"["Perfect"'s] unputdownable factor . . . lies in its exploration of so many multilayered emotions. There is the unbreakable bond between mother and son, the fear of not belonging . . . and how love can offer redemption.""--London Evening Standard"
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"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry"
"[Rachel Joyce] has a lovely sense of the possibilities of redemption. . . . She's cleared space where miracles are still possible."--Ron Charles, "The Washington Post"
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"Joyce's beguiling debut is [a] modest-seeming story of 'ordinary' English lives that enthralls and moves you as it unfolds."--"People" (four stars)
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"[A] gorgeously poignant novel of hope and transformation.""--O: The Oprah Magazine"
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"A gentle adventure with an emotional wallop. It's a smart, feel-good story. . . . I can't think of a better recommendation for summer reading. And take your time, just as Harold does."--Bob Minzesheimer, "USA Today"
"Touching, eccentric . . . Joyce does an inviting job of setting up these mysterious circumstances, and of drawing Byron's magical closeness with Diana."--Janet Maslin, "The New York Tiimes"
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"Haunting . . . compelling."--Minneapolis "Star Tribune"
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"[Joyce] triumphantly returns with "Perfect." . . . As Joyce probes the souls of Diana, Byron and Jim, she reveals--slowly and deliberately, as if peeling back a delicate onion skin--the connection between the two stories, creating a poignant, searching tale."--"O: The Oprah Magazine"
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""Perfect" touches on class, mental illness, and the ways a psyche is formed or broken. It has the tenor of a horror film, and yet at the end, in some kind of contortionist trick, the narrative unfolds into an unexpected burst of redemption. [Verdict: ] Buy It."--"New York"
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"Joyce's dark, quiet follow-up to her successful debut, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, " could easily become a book club favorite. . . . "Perfect" is the kind of book that blossoms under thoughtful examination, its slow tendencies redeemed by moments of loveliness and insight. However sad, Joyce's messages--about the limitations of time and control, the failures of adults and the fears of children, and our responsibility for our own imprisonment and freedom--have a gentle ring of truth to them."--"The Washington Post"
"There is a poignancy to Joyce's narrative that makes for her most memorable writing."--NPR's "All Things Considered"
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"Beautifully written . . . Joyce showed an incredible sensitivity and understanding when she wrote about the impact of mental illness in "Harold Fry, "and that talent shines even brighter now that she's devoting more space to the subject. . . . Joyce is great at building tension, with her prose managing to give huge weight to a menacing comment or a small mistake."--"The A.V. Club"
""Perfect" is a poignant and powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beaut
Touching, eccentric . . . Joyce does an inviting job of setting up these mysterious circumstances, and of drawing Byron s magical closeness with Diana. Janet Maslin, The New York Tiimes
Haunting . . . compelling. Minneapolis Star Tribune
[Joyce] triumphantly returns with Perfect. . . . As Joyce probes the souls of Diana, Byron and Jim, she reveals slowly and deliberately, as if peeling back a delicate onion skin the connection between the two stories, creating a poignant, searching tale. O: The Oprah Magazine
Perfect touches on class, mental illness, and the ways a psyche is formed or broken. It has the tenor of a horror film, and yet at the end, in some kind of contortionist trick, the narrative unfolds into an unexpected burst of redemption. [Verdict: ] Buy It. New York
Joyce s dark, quiet follow-up to her successful debut, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, could easily become a book club favorite. . . . Perfect is the kind of book that blossoms under thoughtful examination, its slow tendencies redeemed by moments of loveliness and insight. However sad, Joyce s messages about the limitations of time and control, the failures of adults and the fears of children, and our responsibility for our own imprisonment and freedom have a gentle ring of truth to them. The Washington Post
There is a poignancy to Joyce s narrative that makes for her most memorable writing. NPR s All Things Considered
Beautifully written . . . Joyce showed an incredible sensitivity and understanding when she wrote about the impact of mental illness in Harold Fry, and that talent shines even brighter now that she s devoting more space to the subject. . . . Joyce is great at building tension, with her prose managing to give huge weight to a menacing comment or a small mistake. The A.V. Club
Perfect is a poignant and powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing. Tana French, author of In the Woods and Broken Harbor
[Rachel] Joyce, showing the same talent for adroit plot development seen in the bestselling The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, brings both narrative strands together in a shocking, redemptive denouement. Publishers Weekly
[Perfect s] unputdownable factor . . . lies in its exploration of so many multilayered emotions. There is the unbreakable bond between mother and son, the fear of not belonging . . . and how love can offer redemption. London Evening Standard"
Book Description:
A new Sunday Times bestseller from the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry with a very different but equally unlikely and heartrending hero. A story of secrets, a terrible mistake, and the destructive nature of perfection.
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