Interviews about The Hundred-Year House at The Rumpus and The Millions
I’ve recently done interviews at both The Rumpus and The Millions about The Hundred-Year House, Olympian gods, galley slaves, and what’s next. Click through to read!
Tag Archive for: the-hundred-year-house
THYH named a best book of 2014 by BookPage and others
The Hundred-Year House has been named a best book of 2014 by BookPage, Chicago Reader, PopSugar, Chicago Book Review, Read Her Like an Open Book, and Newcity (Top 5 Novels by Chicago Authors), among others, and was on The Quivering Pen’s list of the best first lines of the year, and on Slate’s list of the 22 Best Lines of 2014. The Chicago Tribune included it on their Notable Chicago Books list, and The Huffington Post included it on this list of “7 Books to Read While Basking in a Food Coma,” which is pretty awesome but probably won’t make it onto the back of the paperback.
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.
Chicago Reader on THYH
“None of the characters ever find out the full story of the haunting of Laurelfield House. But Makkai ensures that an alert reader will. In a novel filled with conspiracies, this one between writer and reader might be the most satisfying.” Read the full review here!
San Francisco Chronicle reviews THYH
Martha McPhee reviewed The Hundred-Year House for the San Francisco Chronicle, saying “Makkai is a juggler, handling the many plots, characters and ideas with ease and humor and… pathos. Her characters engage in mischief, allowing Makkai the chance to draw satirical portraits of university life, of nutty artists, of wealthy country-clubber industrialists and the hired help who envy them. Clever and acrobatic… a reminder that the past is alive in the present and all our lives are haunted.” Read the full review here!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
