Writing for the Boston Globe, S. Kirk Walsh says: “Makkai’s lyrical prose quietly lifts off the page while her carefully crafted plot charges forward… [The] author strikes a perfect equilibrium of dark humor and tragedy.” Read the whole review here.
A rave review from NPR is even better than a tote bag or a travel mug. Colin Dwyer writes, “It takes a special trick to remake the world without a reader noticing; it takes a tremendous talent to do it again and again.” Read the whole review here.
Sometimes there are really great reviews that are basically impossible to quote. This is one of them. But you can read it here.
Bookpage calls The Hunderd-Year House a “clever and utterly delightful work of fiction,” and has named it one of the top books of July. Read the full review here.
Library Journal has given The Hundred-Year House a glowing starred review, saying “This novel is stunning: ambitious, readable, and intriguing. Its gothic elements, complexity, and plot twists are reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin. Chilling and thoroughly enjoyable.” Read the whole review here.
The Hundred-Year House has received a lovely starred review in Booklist, which you can read here. From the review: “…Such close quarters provide the perfect setup for farce and scandal, and Makkai choreographs both in a dazzling plot spiked with secrets and betrayals hilarious and dire. Her offbeat characters and suspenseful story could have added up to a stylish romp. Instead, Makkai offers that and much more as she stealthily investigates the complexities of ambition, sexism, violence, creativity, and love in this diverting yet richly dimensional novel”
Publishers Weekly has given The Hundred-Year House a starred review, calling it “lively and clever… exceptionally well constructed, with engaging characters busy reinventing themselves throughout, and delightful twists that surprise and satisfy.” Read the full review here.
“Makkai’s (The Borrower) second novel is a lively and clever story starring an estate with an intricate history.”
“The Hundred-Year House is a funny, sad and delightful romp through the beginning, middle and end of an artists’ colony as well as the family mansion that sheltered it and the family members who do and don’t survive it. Told backwards from the viewpoints of an array of eccentric and intertwined characters, the story’s secrets are revealed with stunning acuity. An ambitious work, well-realized.”
—B. A. Shapiro, author of The Art Forger
“A mesmerizing story of self-reinvention that delights on every page, told with keen wit and a perceptive eye. Like the unforgettable characters in this gripping novel, Laurelfield will draw you into its spell.”
—Charlie Lovett, author of The Bookman’s Tale
“A mesmerizing story of self-reinvention that delights on every page, told with keen wit and a perceptive eye. Like the unforgettable characters in this gripping novel, Laurelfield will draw you into its spell.”
—Charlie Lovett, author of The Bookman’s Tale
