“Berne (Missing Lucile, 2010, etc.), who won the Orange Prize for her first novel, A Crime in the Neighborhood (1997), is a sure hand at the dinner parties, school concerts, teacup tempests, and true moments of suspense that make a suburban comedy of manners par excellence. It's too bad about the dogs, but they died for a good cause.”
—Kirkus (Starred Review)

“A compelling, poignant yet unsentimental novel that examines life, love and loss. Original and brilliant” –Sunday Mirror

“Nuanced, thoroughly enjoyable, excellent” –Guardian

“Very well ­written, devastating and funny … insightful, too. Highly recommended” –Daily Mail

“Brilliantly done. Gentle and often moving” –Sunday Times

“Well-observed shrewd satire … sharp, funny and painful. Berne takes the domestic and turns it into the majestic” –Sunday Telegraph

"Her unique voice comes through in the combination of a forensic approach to her characters’ foibles and lyrical descriptions of the changing of the seasons in New England. This is an apparently light tale but there are dark shadows in Littlefield too. Berne’s novel is both absorbing and amusing, and lingers in the memory."
—The Independent (UK)

"A look at suburban life that manages to be both scathing and sympathetic, Berne’s latest is a smart,amusing satire."