Shrewd and timely - the best novel I've read in ages. Ferociously well written, and hugely entertaining -- SARAH WATERS
Erudite, beautifully written, funny, tragic * * Daily Mail * *
Darkly witty and exhilarating * * The Times * *
With its echoes of Simone de Beauvoir and Samuel Beckett, this quiet meditation an old age seethes with apocalyptic intent . . . Brilliant * * Guardian * *
Masterly, poignant and uplifting * * Mail on Sunday * *
Drabble has pulled off a quietly revolutionary portrait of an age-group whose lives are just as urgent as anyone's but are rarely considered ***** * * Sunday Telegraph * *
Ageing and dying in style . . . Margaret Drabble's sharply drawn characters look back on lives lived and forwards to achieving a good death * * Observer * *
Uplifting . . . Profound . . . Unforgettable . . . At its heart is the enormous question, how do we know if we've had a good life? * * Sunday Telegraph * *
Now 77 and on her 19th novel, Drabble is skillful at creating brilliantly drawn, three-dimensional characters in this thought-provoking and witty read * * Sunday Post * *
Written with tremendous energy . . . Drabble has always been an observant chronicler of human life. Meditations on what makes a good death . . . are enthusiastically explored in a text that roves fluidly between past and present. Inquisitive and erudite * * Literary Review * *
A vein of black humour pulses . . . as entertaining as a conversation with a dear friend * * Daily Mail * *
Heartbreaking and hilarious * * Sunday Independent * *
Witty and intelligent . . . brimming with relevance * * Independent * *
A heartfelt rumination on the process of ageing and inevitability of death * * The List * *
A significant achievement, admirable and truthful * * New Statesman * *
A thought-provoking, witty and surprisingly acerbic read * * The Herald * *
Sharp observation and pessimistic pondering . . .There is a gloomy, undeniable truthfulness to this novel * * Daily Express * *
Drabble's brilliance . . . builds up a sense of wide horizons that one has never seen in quite the same way before * * The Times * *
Her distinctive narrative voice and soaring prose remain electrifying * * Spectator * *