Reviews
to reviews for The Confessions of Max Tivoli
to reviews for other novels
Praise for The Story of a Marriage:
“From the beginning of this inspired, lyrical novel, the reader is pulled along by the attentive voice of Pearlie…Mr. Greer’s considerable gifts as a storyteller ascend to the heights of masters like Marilynne Robinson and William Trevor. In the hands of a lesser writer this narrative might have stumbled into a literary derivation of Annie Proulx’s now famous short story ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ But instead Mr. Greer creates a moving story that is all his own via an intimate view of Pearlie’s world, which has spun off its axis….Greer seamlessly choreographs an intricate narrative that speaks authentically to the longings and desires of his characters. All the while he never strays from the convincing and steady voice of Pearlie. In a way she serves as the reader’s Virgil as she guides you through the turbulent circles of the early ’50s, when both her life and the world are indelibly altered.” — S Kirk Walsh, The New York Times
“Wondrously unsettling…. Andrew Sean Greer’s much praised previous novel, “The Confessions of Max Tivoli,” was an eerie “memoir” of someone born with the appearance of an old, wrinkled man who then ages backward, looking ever younger as he matures inwardly…Greer’s new novel is equally praiseworthy, but the influence it evokes is less that of Proust or Nabokov than of Edgar Allan Poe. “The Story of a Marriage” is pervaded by a brooding, secretive air. Pearlie, it becomes clear, is a withholding narrator; she has her own silences. Greer’s rich prose is filled with Poe-like symbols as well as sudden, terrifying illuminations and semi-surreal encounters…A timeless story of conflicting loyalties, “The Story of a Marriage” has roots in the fiction of Poe’s era, but, fittingly enough, its plot is firmly anchored in the vividly described America of the early 1950s—a seemingly serene era whose submerged social, racial and political tensions would soon create their own disruptions and upheavals.” — Maggie Scarf, The New York Times Book Review
“The haunting questions in Andrew Sean Greer’s exquisite new novel resonate with us all…Greer has an intrepid imagination, an uncanny ability to bring the past to rumbling life and a surprising mastery of tension. The Story of a Marriage unfolds in the shadow of one war and the defining memories of another, a domestic drama as suspenseful as any mystery. It’s a finely structured whodunnit about the confusion inherent in matters of the heart…Greer doles out revelations with grace and precision — there are surprises in this novel, and it is best to surrender to them without preconceptions. Greer’s prose, as in Max Tivoli, is unerringly poetic…What can be seen plainly on every page of this slim, lovely novel is Greer’s prodigious talent.” — Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
“Bewitching…a book whose linguistic prowess and raw storytelling power is almost disruptive to the reader. It’s too good to put down and yet each passage is also too good to leave behind…He near-brilliantly juxtaposes the nuances of love, sexual awakening and the sometimes suffocating sacrifices marriage demands against broader cultural observations about political turmoil, the physical and emotional effects of war, sexual repression and racism…His book is a perfect mix of what we seek from literature — captivating storytelling; a complex, finely tuned structure; stunning language; and astute observations about both the mundane intricacies of everyday relationships and society as a whole.” — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times Book Review
“The book’s concerns include the nature of wartime heroism: Is it more courageous to go off and fight because the authorities tell you to, or is it braver to refrain, even if that’s not the popular thing to do?…”The Story of a Marriage” looks at these questions from the vantage points of both World War II and Vietnam, and the answers as well as the suppositions are fascinating…This is a plot that deepens as surprises explode unexpectedly and terrifyingly. “The Story of a Marriage” is more than worth the reader’s attention. It’s thoughtful, complex and exquisitely written.” — Carolyn See, Washington Post
“Greer has packed a tremendous amount into less than 200 pages. The story has a languorous, unhurried feel, and yet it contains many surprises. These are not always the shocking twists found so often in fiction but rather resemble the smaller jolts of real life, the moments in which we learn something new about those we love. The Story of a Marriage is a beautiful, understated novel that celebrates the heroes of private battles.” — London Observer
“It’s hard not to gush about American author Andrew Sean Greer’s new novel. For once, the publicity superlatives are true. The Story of a Marriage is a wonderful, exquisitely written book of the kind that keeps the reader up late at night to find out what happens next….Apart from sounding like an effusive sycophant, however, the trouble with writing about The Story of a Marriage is that its plot is full of twists and delayed revelations…truly touching, thought-provoking novel.” — Financial Times
“Greer has packed a tremendous amount into less than 200 pages. The story has a languorous, unhurried feel, and yet it contains many surprises. These are not always the shocking twists found so often in fiction but rather resemble the smaller jolts of real life, the moments in which we learn something new about those we love. The Story of a Marriage is a beautiful, understated novel that celebrates the heroes of private battles. It is peopled with those who have opted out - draft dodgers, conscientious objectors, and people on the margins of society who believe they are fighting for enough already, without taking on their nation’s conflicts. Like them, Pearlie’s war is never-ending, and it’s one that she wages alone.” The Guardian
“[A] remarkable piece of fiction, a compelling and beautifully-penned tale of love, long-kept secrets and motherly sacrifice set against a backdrop of race issues, repression and war in 1950s America…The novel will have you gripped from the start…The San Francisco-based author had a bestseller on his hands with The Confessions of Max Tivoli and there is no reason why this cleverly constructed and genuinely moving work shouldn’t do the same.” — The List, Scotland
“As I turned the final page I had one of those ‘this will be a memorable book’ moments. One of those books you know you will still recall with clarity and emotional accuracy years down the line….Written with a perfect rhythm, a cadence that pulses in tune with the reader, The Story of a Marriage is one of those complete and wholly satisfying reading experiences and one of the few books I know I would read again. If I’m still around and compus mentis, ask me about this book in ten years time and I think I may be able to remember every detail.” — dovegreyreader, UK
“A wondrously inventive writer…Here Greer has constructed a world of silences and fogs, where he feints and shadows, revealing characters one shift of light at a time. So it’s hard to tell more of what Drumer’s visit does without revealing too much too soon. Better to drift quietly through this mesmerizing tale, where you’ll want to charge forward to dig out the secrets in these people’s lives while also wanting to drag your heels and revel in the beautiful writing of this hugely talented writer.” — The Oregonian
“Starred Review. As he demonstrated in the imaginative The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Greer can spin a touching narrative based on an intriguing premise. Even a diligent reader will be surprised by the revelations twisting through this novel and will probably turn back to the beginning pages to find the oblique hints hidden in Greer’s crystalline prose…this is a sensitive exploration of the secrets hidden even in intimate relationships, a poignant account of people helpless in the throes of passion and an affirmation of the strength of the human spirit.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“A slim work of genuine originality whose uniqueness rests in large part on information I would rather not share…the novel provides more than its share of lovely writing: ‘The driver struck a match and we were briefly bathed in that warm light before he touched it, gently, to his cigarette and then, when that was lit, thermometer-shook the match to darkness, leaving only a smoky question mark.’ More crucially, Greer deftly portrays characters whose true selves are hidden beneath opaque facades, and creates a tale of disorienting and almost painful moral vertigo. The Story of Marriage conveys, with great sensitivity, the sting of coming to ’see our lives as a fiction we have written and believed.’” — Evan Hughes, Barnes & Noble Review
“The Story of a Marriage is a carefully crafted novel, reminiscent of poetry, with each word beautifully strung on a necklace of pearlescent prose….Andrew Sean Greer has crafted an inspired novel from a set of ingredients that novelists have been using forever: a setting in times of uncertainty and social change, a betrayal, a loss of innocence, a love story. But instead of a cliche, The Story of a Marriage feels magical and elegant. Since Greer’s first collection of stories, How It Was for Me, published eight years ago, his skill with the written word has only matured and grown. And this, his fourth book, is one for the ages.” — Danielle Marshall, Powells.com
“A dazzling, heartbreaking novel, one of the best published this year.” — The Gloss Magazine, Ireland
“Emotionally complex…finely nuanced narrative ambiguity and bewitching lyricism.” — Times Literary Supplement, UK
“Greer’s beautifully written romance is as much a portrait of an era as a study of the lengths to which people will go to feed a hungry heart.” — Telegraph, UK
“Like a lyrical chamber piece rich with counterpoint…This is the slim-yet-deep novel that Don DeLillo has been struggling to write for ten years now: Greer, like DeLillo, is determined to say something about lost souls and the American condition, but instead of DeLillo’s sleek, well-machined characters Greer is eager to explore our messier, more irrational selves.” — Washington City Paper
“Andrew Sean Greer, one of the most talented young writers of our time, has written a beautiful and moving tale of war, sacrifice, race, and motherhood. But ultimately, as with The Confessions of Max Tivoli, this is a book about love, and it is a marvel to watch Greer probe the mysteries of love to such devastating effect.” —Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
“Andrew Greer writes with an aching clarity of the heart. This is an exquisite story with shattering realizations about love. The details of a marriage between strangers is so finely observed that I often paused to wonder, “How does he know so much?” — Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter
“This is a haunting book of breathtaking beauty and restraint. Greer’s tone-perfect prose conjures an unforgettable woman who exists both within and somehow above the stifling class, racial and sexual constraints of 1950s America — and who must unravel the great mystery of her place within it.” —Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and What Is The What?
“‘The Story of a Marriage’ is a riveting and fascinating novel full of stunning observations and brilliant moments of truth and sympathy. It is written in prose that makes you want to slow the book down and read passages over again, but it also has a plot which makes you want to race ahead and stay up all night until you know what happens in the end.” — Colm Toibin, author of The Master and Mothers and Sons