Reviews
Rebecca RadnerSan Francisco Chronicle Book ReviewIrresistible....A compendium of delights, overflowing with insight and passion. The funny parts are absurdly hilarious, the painful ones moving and perceptive., Jane Hamiltonauthor of The Book of Ruth Here's the new Robert Hellenga novel, as richly detailed and absorbing as The Sixteen Pleasures. You know what you need to do: Boil the tea water, get into bed, tell your dear family to go away for a few days, and begin the journey., Entertainment Weekly Autumnal prose, a playful intellectual curiosity, and a decent, disillusioned, all-embracing tenderness., Kathleen JacobsRedbookA richly layered novel...in spite of the novel's seriousness and its keenly felt observations about loss and mourning, there are also wonderful moments filled with humor and charm., Carol FieldSan Jose Mercury NewsThere are so many fascinating stories in this astonishing book, so many characters who touch the heart, that here's my advice: Give in to the irresistible urge to keep turning the pages the first time you readThe Fall of a Sparrow.Then read it again., David Willis McCulloughThe New York Times Book ReviewHellenga has a gift for nicely pointed satire and a rich, almost lavish sense of place., Frances Stead StellersThe Washington PostThe Fall of a Sparrowconveys a sense of certainty and ultimate truth that only the finest writing can achieve. It is an extraordinary novel., The Boston Sunday Globe Sprawling, complex, and multifaceted...stimulating and inspiring....This is unapologetically a novel of ideas., Kathleen Jacobs Redbook A richly layered novel...in spite of the novel's seriousness and its keenly felt observations about loss and mourning, there are also wonderful moments filled with humor and charm., Rebecca Radner San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Irresistible...A compendium of delights, overflowing with insight and passion. The funny parts are absurdly hilarious, the painful ones moving and perceptive., Jane Hamiltonauthor ofThe Book of RuthHere's the new Robert Hellenga novel, as richly detailed and absorbing asThe Sixteen Pleasures.You know what you need to do: Boil the tea water, get into bed, tell your dear family to go away for a few days, and begin the journey., Jane Hamilton author of The Book of Ruth Here's the new Robert Hellenga novel, as richly detailed and absorbing as The Sixteen Pleasures. You know what you need to do: Boil the tea water, get into bed, tell your dear family to go away for a few days, and begin the journey., David Willis McCullough The New York Times Book Review Hellenga has a gift for nicely pointed satire and a rich, almost lavish sense of place., Carol Field San Jose Mercury News There are so many fascinating stories in this astonishing book, so many characters who touch the heart, that here's my advice: Give in to the irresistible urge to keep turning the pages the first time you read The Fall of a Sparrow. Then read it again., Frances Stead SellersThe Washington Post Book WorldOnce in a while, when reality is too painful to bear, fiction can help us to explore the fragility of our human condition.The Fall of a Sparrowis such a book. With compassion and humor, it conveys a sense of certainty and ultimate faith that only the finest writing can achieve., Entertainment WeeklyAutumnal prose, a playful intellectual curiosity, and a decent, disillusioned, all-embracing tenderness., Los Angeles TimesThe highest possible praise for a novel may be that it forced you to engage it, to argue, to confront it as you would a challenging but sometimes misguided lover. Robert Hellenga'sThe Fall of a Sparrowis such a novel., The Boston Sunday GlobeSprawling, complex, and multifaceted...stimulating and inspiring....This is unapologetically a novel of ideas., Frances Stead Stellers The Washington Post The Fall of a Sparrow conveys a sense of certainty and ultimate truth that only the finest writing can achieve. It is an extraordinary novel., Los Angeles Times The highest possible praise for a novel may be that it forced you to engage it, to argue, to confront it as you would a challenging but sometimes misguided lover. Robert Hellenga's The Fall of a Sparrow is such a novel., Frances Stead Sellers The Washington Post Book World Once in a while, when reality is too painful to bear, fiction can help us to explore the fragility of our human condition. The Fall of a Sparrow is such a book. With compassion and humor, it conveys a sense of certainty and ultimate faith that only the finest writing can achieve., Rebecca Radner San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Irresistible....A compendium of delights, overflowing with insight and passion. The funny parts are absurdly hilarious, the painful ones moving and perceptive.
