'Erudite essays from one of the world's finest writers . . . Throughout, the poetry of Tóibín's prose is as impressive as always. In [the] title piece, he writes that his mother was 'what most of us still write for: the ordinary reader, curious and intelligent and demanding, ready to be moved and changed.' Readers like her will savor every page of this book.'
- Kirkus Reviews
'Tóibín's voice is so powerful and distinct, his descriptions so precise . . . He is, perhaps, Ireland's greatest living male writer.'
- Laura Hackett, Sunday Times
'I love everything Colm Tóibín has written'
- Nicola Sturgeon, New Statesman