Girl Meets Boy pulls you in and doesn't let you go . . . bold and brilliant -- JACKIE KAY * * Observer * *
A glorious wide-awake dream of a book . . . Powerful . . . By the time I finished the book, my heart was beating and tears stood in my eyes, even as I had the biggest smile written all over my face -- KIRSTY GUNN * * Observer * *
Girl Meets Boy is not about life after death, but it is a joyful celebration of life in all its strange shapes -- JEANETTE WINTERSON * * The Times * *
Clever, complex and thrilling * * TLS * *
Poetic . . . Smith remembers what the ancients knew: that musical words drum a beat through to understanding * * The Times * *
A joyful and playful remix . . . The result is an ecstatic, exhilarating helter-skelter ride of a story which shows just how relevant Ovid's myth of the transformative power of love is to modern readers * * Financial Times * *
Exuberant . . . has something of Ovid's erotic lilt to it . . . This slender, sweet natured, lyrical tale not only nods but winks and grins at the many books it could not have been written without * * Guardian * *
Those familiar with Smith's playfully inventive fiction will not be disappointed by this light-as-air retelling of Ovid's tale . . . this jolly jeu d'esprit wears its heart defiantly on its sleeve * * The Times * *
[A] whimsical spin on the myth of Iphis and Ianthe . . . mischief, enchantment and impish wit . . . [Smith's] dancing prose and nimble storytelling are palpable hits * * Sunday Times * *
In this modern-day reinterpretation, Ali Smith, with humour and typical linguistic versatility, explores issues of homophobia, corporate and social responsibility and the sheer vertiginous feeling of falling in love. * * Independent on Sunday * *
Girl Meets Boy is a joyful, experimental work. Smith deftly employs all kind of linguistic tricks to paint her characters . . . Smith is a playful writer who takes fun seriously, and whose ease, erudition and eloquence can sometimes be mistaken for an end in itself . . . I'm sure that the urbane and witty Ovid would have wholeheartedly approved -- Stuart Kelly * * Scotland on Sunday * *
As fanciful as it is honest and as moving as it is hilarious, this is a gorgeous story -- Alexandra Heminsley * * London Paper * *
It is a clever use of the myth, and Ali Smith has delivered another exuberant cascade of words; the romance is described in a lyrical flood and Imogen's part is dealt with mainly in accomplished streams of consciousness * * Spectator * *
Everywhere there is playfulness, mischief, delight in love and language, startlingly graceful trapeze-leaps of thought. Smith writes with unplugged energy of the fiddler she conjures up to play at Anthea's "dream" wedding * * Sunday Herald * *
The novella is authentically Ovidian in its lightness, grace and exuberance . . . It's a lovely piece of writing -- Allan Massie * * Scotsman * *
