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New York Times Book Review on The Hundred Year House

I had this awesome dream where the New York Times Book Review said some really nice stuff about my novel, and nobody’s bothered waking me up yet, so it’s all good. From the review: “Makkai guides her twisty, maximalist story with impressive command and a natural ear for satire. Equal parts screwball comedy, intellectual sex farce, historical drama and old-fashioned ghost story, “The Hundred-Year House” sometimes feels like the precocious love child of John Irving’s “The Hotel New Hampshire” and a rousing game of Clue.” Read more here. Please don’t pinch me.

Posted in News, Reviews on November 25 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, new york times, praise, reviews, the-hundred-year-house

BookBrowse reviews THYH

“The novel’s unique structure and its vibrant characters make for active, exciting reading. Questions raised in one section are answered in others, creating a reading experience that might have you flipping back and forth through the pages. Makkai’s sense of humor creates funny moments (the artists’ drinking escapades) that offset more dismal ones (Grace’s struggle with her husband). The Hundred-Year House is a puzzle, a plunge into a world of fascinating characters, and an examination of human relationships. It is not to be missed.” Full review here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, the-hundred-year-house

Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Makkai’s book holds all of the elements of the perfect summer yarn: eccentric artists, a mysterious death, a locked attic door and a large estate that has secrets built into its walls… Think David Lodge meets Maggie Shipstead as Makkai’s suspenseful scene building and comic timing make “The Hundred-Year House” a captivating read.” Full review here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, reviews, the-hundred-year-house

THYH reviewed in Vermont’s Seven Days

“A smart comedy, a caper tale by turns sharp and absurd… It is tough to finish reading without turning to the first page and leafing forward again.” Full review here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, the-hundred-year-house

Good Housekeeping features THYH as a summer read

“Makkai’s screwball intrigue follows two couples sharing a Chicago estate with a hidden history. As two of the spouses pair up to dig into its past as an artists’ colony, their partners begin to suspect foul play. Fresh and fun.” More here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, magazines, praise, the-hundred-year-house

THYH featured on Huffington Post

“Makkai humorously turns the conventional family saga on its head, in a clever exploration of metamorphosis and secrecy.” Full review here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, reviews, the-hundred-year-house

Daily Mail (UK)

“Makkai’s second novel defies genre – part literary mystery, part comedy of manners, part wickedly funny satire. Whichever way you look at it, it’s remarkable.”

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, reviews, the-hundred-year-house

San Antonio Current

“At times both hilarious and heartbreaking, Makkai creates eccentric characters the reader can’t give up on, even at their very lowest, least likeable points. Makkai’s witty and engrossing writing style belies the nearly Dickensian way she layers characters over time, revealing hidden identities and unknown connections. It is also a very frank story of the lives of working artists and writers: the trade-offs, the losses, the liberation and the need for both community and isolation.

From the opening line to the last, The Hundred-Year House is utterly absorbing. Deceptively light and fast-paced, the story will stay with the reader long after the satisfying conclusion.”

Full review here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, reviews, the-hundred-year-house

People Magazine

“The darkly funny Makkai seeds the narrative with so many mysteries and surprises – star-crossed lovers! mistaken identities! – that those 100 years race by.” More here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, magazines, praise, the-hundred-year-house

Denver Post

“What a clever, twisted story Rebecca Makkai has created in The Hundred-Year House… Full of unexpected storytelling and wry humor… Revelations, increasingly delicious and devastating, come faster and more furiously as the text progresses…” Full review here.

Posted in News, Reviews on August 14 2014· Tagged: hundred-year house, praise, reviews, the-hundred-year-house