Reviews
The mystery surrounding the two percolates with suspense — the friends are hiding something — but the most interesting aspect of Ms. St. John Mandel's novel, her third, is how aggressively unglamorous it is, starting with Gavin himself. But he's hardly the only one with a fallen-down life" in a world of weed-fringed cul-de-sacs, 7-Elevens and #145;Cinnabon-scented' mall air." --New York Times [An] elegant, hypnotic novel….engrossing….Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost — and perhaps only imagined — innocence." —The Washington Post ". . . the book, like its brilliant predecessor, The Singer's Gun," virtually trumpets its author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates, and the thoughtful way she tries to tease meaning out of the collateral damage her characters, in screwing up, have wrought."—The Boston Globe A remarkable morality play. Perhaps all novelists can be said to wrestle with morality; Mandel seems to wrestle with it at greater length and in greater depth than most novelists, a statement that applies to her previous novels, Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun….Reared in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a student of dance in Toronto and eventually a resident of Brooklyn, Mandel gained insights into human nature that promise more first-rate fiction."—The Dallas Morning News The Lola Quartet is a decade-spanning, well-compressed novel with a pared-down style . . . deft . . . riveting . . . What makes this book memorable is . . . the meditation of these characters, who are not otherwise criminals, on their complicity in real crime." --The Cleveland Plain Dealer This adrenaline-fuelled tale is hard to put down." —The Globe and Mail "This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ...All I can tell you about the novel''s resolution is that it involves a shooting, an impersonation and a murder. Summarized, the plot twists sound improbable, but Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath." —Minneapolis Star Tribune Riveting…. Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board." —Library Journal, Starred Review The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense . . . Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient." —Publishers Weekly …gut-wrenching….After last year's superb, twisty The Singer's Gun, Mandel wouldn't be faulted if she eased up and wrote something more straightforward, but she didn't. Subtlety in the midst of chaos is her forte, and as the action slowly ramps up to murder, her tone is controlled, her artistic vision flawless."—Mystery Scene Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel…. Fascinating." —Booklist The noir-ish storyline will hook you from the first page, but you'll stay for the well-drawn relationships and all-too-familiar grown-up angst." —Flavorwire in their article on 10 New Must Reads for May Each of her books is a winning combination of gorgeous, unique imagery and nail-biting, page-turning narrative....Mandel's novels perfectly blend beautiful language and suspenseful mystery to investigate human behavior and relationships." —Overflow Magazine, The mystery surrounding the two percolates with suspense — the friends are hiding something — but the most interesting aspect of Ms. St. John Mandel's novel, her third, is how aggressively unglamorous it is, starting with Gavin himself. But he's hardly the only one with a fallen-down life" in a world of weed-fringed cul-de-sacs, 7-Elevens and ‘Cinnabon-scented' mall air." –New York Times [An] elegant, hypnotic novel….engrossing….Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost — and perhaps only imagined — innocence." —The Washington Post ". . . the book, like its brilliant predecessor, The Singer's Gun," virtually trumpets its author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates, and the thoughtful way she tries to tease meaning out of the collateral damage her characters, in screwing up, have wrought."—The Boston Globe A remarkable morality play. Perhaps all novelists can be said to wrestle with morality; Mandel seems to wrestle with it at greater length and in greater depth than most novelists, a statement that applies to her previous novels, Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun….Reared in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a student of dance in Toronto and eventually a resident of Brooklyn, Mandel gained insights into human nature that promise more first-rate fiction."—The Dallas Morning News The Lola Quartet is a decade-spanning, well-compressed novel with a pared-down style . . . deft . . . riveting . . . What makes this book memorable is . . . the meditation of these characters, who are not otherwise criminals, on their complicity in real crime." –The Cleveland Plain Dealer This adrenaline-fuelled tale is hard to put down." —The Globe and Mail "This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ...All I can tell you about the novel''s resolution is that it involves a shooting, an impersonation and a murder. Summarized, the plot twists sound improbable, but Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath." —Minneapolis Star Tribune Riveting…. Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board." —Library Journal, Starred Review The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense . . . Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient." —Publishers Weekly …gut-wrenching….After last year's superb, twisty The Singer's Gun, Mandel wouldn't be faulted if she eased up and wrote something more straightforward, but she didn't. Subtlety in the midst of chaos is her forte, and as the action slowly ramps up to murder, her tone is controlled, her artistic vision flawless."—Mystery Scene Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel…. Fascinating." —Booklist The noir-ish storyline will hook you from the first page, but you'll stay for the well-drawn relationships and all-too-familiar grown-up angst." —Flavorwire in their article on 10 New Must Reads for May Each of her books is a winning combination of gorgeous, unique imagery and nail-biting, page-turning narrative....Mandel's novels perfectly blend beautiful language and suspenseful mystery to investigate human behavior and relationships." —Overflow Magazine, "The mystery surrounding the two percolates with suspense -- the friends are hiding something -- but the most interesting aspect of Ms. St. John Mandel''s novel, her third, is how aggressively unglamorous it is, starting with Gavin himself. But he''s hardly the only one with a "fallen-down life" in a world of weed-fringed cul-de-sacs, 7-Elevens and ''Cinnabon-scented'' mall air." -New York Times "[An] elegant, hypnotic novel....engrossing....Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost -- and perhaps only imagined -- innocence." --The Washington Post ". . . the book, like its brilliant predecessor, "The Singer''s Gun," virtually trumpets its author''s talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates, and the thoughtful way she tries to tease meaning out of the collateral damage her characters, in screwing up, have wrought."--The Boston Globe "A remarkable morality play. Perhaps all novelists can be said to wrestle with morality; Mandel seems to wrestle with it at greater length and in greater depth than most novelists, a statement that applies to her previous novels, Last Night in Montreal and The Singer''s Gun....Reared in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a student of dance in Toronto and eventually a resident of Brooklyn, Mandel gained insights into human nature that promise more first-rate fiction."--The Dallas Morning News "The Lola Quartet is a decade-spanning, well-compressed novel with a pared-down style . . . deft . . . riveting . . . What makes this book memorable is . . . the meditation of these characters, who are not otherwise criminals, on their complicity in real crime." -The Cleveland Plain Dealer "This adrenaline-fuelled tale is hard to put down." --The Globe and Mail "This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ...All I can tell you about the novel''s resolution is that it involves a shooting, an impersonation and a murder. Summarized, the plot twists sound improbable, but Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Riveting.... Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel''s substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board." --Library Journal, Starred Review "The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense . . . Mandel''s novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient." --Publishers Weekly "...gut-wrenching....After last year''s superb, twisty The Singer''s Gun, Mandel wouldn''t be faulted if she eased up and wrote something more straightforward, but she didn''t. Subtlety in the midst of chaos is her forte, and as the action slowly ramps up to murder, her tone is controlled, her artistic vision flawless."--Mystery Scene "Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel.... Fascinating." --Booklist "The noir-ish storyline will hook you from the first page, but you''ll stay for the well-drawn relationships and all-too-familiar grown-up angst." --Flavorwire in their article on 10 New Must Reads for May "Each of her books is a winning combination of gorgeous, unique imagery and nail-biting, page-turning narrative....Mandel''s novels perfectly blend beautiful language and suspenseful mystery to investigate human behavior and relationships." --Overflow Magazine, "The mystery surrounding the two percolates with suspense -- the friends are hiding something -- but the most interesting aspect of Ms. St. John Mandel's novel, her third, is how aggressively unglamorous it is, starting with Gavin himself. But he's hardly the only one with a "fallen-down life" in a world of weed-fringed cul-de-sacs, 7-Elevens and ''Cinnabon-scented' mall air." -New York Times "[An] elegant, hypnotic novel....engrossing....Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost -- and perhaps only imagined -- innocence." --The Washington Post ". . . the book, like its brilliant predecessor, "The Singer's Gun," virtually trumpets its author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates, and the thoughtful way she tries to tease meaning out of the collateral damage her characters, in screwing up, have wrought."--The Boston Globe "A remarkable morality play. Perhaps all novelists can be said to wrestle with morality; Mandel seems to wrestle with it at greater length and in greater depth than most novelists, a statement that applies to her previous novels, Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun....Reared in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a student of dance in Toronto and eventually a resident of Brooklyn, Mandel gained insights into human nature that promise more first-rate fiction."--The Dallas Morning News "The Lola Quartet is a decade-spanning, well-compressed novel with a pared-down style . . . deft . . . riveting . . . What makes this book memorable is . . . the meditation of these characters, who are not otherwise criminals, on their complicity in real crime." -The Cleveland Plain Dealer "This adrenaline-fuelled tale is hard to put down." --The Globe and Mail "This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ...All I can tell you about the novel''s resolution is that it involves a shooting, an impersonation and a murder. Summarized, the plot twists sound improbable, but Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Riveting.... Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board." --Library Journal, Starred Review "The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense . . . Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient." --Publishers Weekly "...gut-wrenching....After last year's superb, twisty The Singer's Gun, Mandel wouldn't be faulted if she eased up and wrote something more straightforward, but she didn't. Subtlety in the midst of chaos is her forte, and as the action slowly ramps up to murder, her tone is controlled, her artistic vision flawless."--Mystery Scene "Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel.... Fascinating." --Booklist "The noir-ish storyline will hook you from the first page, but you'll stay for the well-drawn relationships and all-too-familiar grown-up angst." --Flavorwire in their article on 10 New Must Reads for May "Each of her books is a winning combination of gorgeous, unique imagery and nail-biting, page-turning narrative....Mandel's novels perfectly blend beautiful language and suspenseful mystery to investigate human behavior and relationships." --Overflow Magazine, "The mystery surrounding the two percolates with suspense -- the friends are hiding something -- but the most interesting aspect of Ms. St. John Mandel's novel, her third, is how aggressively unglamorous it is, starting with Gavin himself. But he's hardly the only one with a "fallen-down life" in a world of weed-fringed cul-de-sacs, 7-Elevens and 'Cinnabon-scented' mall air." -New York Times "[An] elegant, hypnotic novel....engrossing....Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost -- and perhaps only imagined -- innocence." --The Washington Post ". . . the book, like its brilliant predecessor, "The Singer's Gun," virtually trumpets its author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates, and the thoughtful way she tries to tease meaning out of the collateral damage her characters, in screwing up, have wrought."--The Boston Globe "A remarkable morality play. Perhaps all novelists can be said to wrestle with morality; Mandel seems to wrestle with it at greater length and in greater depth than most novelists, a statement that applies to her previous novels, Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun....Reared in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a student of dance in Toronto and eventually a resident of Brooklyn, Mandel gained insights into human nature that promise more first-rate fiction."--The Dallas Morning News "The Lola Quartet is a decade-spanning, well-compressed novel with a pared-down style . . . deft . . . riveting . . . What makes this book memorable is . . . the meditation of these characters, who are not otherwise criminals, on their complicity in real crime." -The Cleveland Plain Dealer "This adrenaline-fuelled tale is hard to put down." --The Globe and Mail "This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ...All I can tell you about the novel''s resolution is that it involves a shooting, an impersonation and a murder. Summarized, the plot twists sound improbable, but Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Riveting.... Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board." --Library Journal, Starred Review "The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense . . . Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient." --Publishers Weekly "...gut-wrenching....After last year's superb, twisty The Singer's Gun, Mandel wouldn't be faulted if she eased up and wrote something more straightforward, but she didn't. Subtlety in the midst of chaos is her forte, and as the action slowly ramps up to murder, her tone is controlled, her artistic vision flawless."--Mystery Scene "Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel.... Fascinating." --Booklist "The noir-ish storyline will hook you from the first page, but you'll stay for the well-drawn relationships and all-too-familiar grown-up angst." --Flavorwire in their article on 10 New Must Reads for May "Each of her books is a winning combination of gorgeous, unique imagery and nail-biting, page-turning narrative....Mandel's novels perfectly blend beautiful language and suspenseful mystery to investigate human behavior and relationships." --Overflow Magazine, "[An] elegant, hypnotic novel....engrossing....Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost -- and perhaps only imagined -- innocence." --The Washington Post ". . . the book, like its brilliant predecessor, "The Singer's Gun," virtually trumpets its author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates, and the thoughtful way she tries to tease meaning out of the collateral damage her characters, in screwing up, have wrought."--The Boston Globe "A remarkable morality play. Perhaps all novelists can be said to wrestle with morality; Mandel seems to wrestle with it at greater length and in greater depth than most novelists, a statement that applies to her previous novels, Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun....Reared in the Canadian province of British Columbia, a student of dance in Toronto and eventually a resident of Brooklyn, Mandel gained insights into human nature that promise more first-rate fiction."--The Dallas Morning News "The Lola Quartet is a decade-spanning, well-compressed novel with a pared-down style . . . deft . . . riveting . . . What makes this book memorable is . . . the meditation of these characters, who are not otherwise criminals, on their complicity in real crime." -The Cleveland Plain Dealer "This adrenaline-fuelled tale is hard to put down." --The Globe and Mail "This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ...All I can tell you about the novel's resolution is that it involves a shooting, an impersonation and a murder. Summarized, the plot twists sound improbable, but Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Riveting.... Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board." --Library Journal, Starred Review "The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense . . . Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient." --Publishers Weekly "...gut-wrenching....After last year's superb, twisty The Singer's Gun, Mandel wouldn't be faulted if she eased up and wrote something more straightforward, but she didn't. Subtlety in the midst of chaos is her forte, and as the action slowly ramps up to murder, her tone is controlled, her artistic vision flawless."--Mystery Scene "Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel.... Fascinating." --Booklist "The noir-ish storyline will hook you from the first page, but you'll stay for the well-drawn relationships and all-too-familiar grown-up angst." --Flavorwire in their article on 10 New Must Reads for May "Each of her books is a winning combination of gorgeous, unique imagery and nail-biting, page-turning narrative....Mandel's novels perfectly blend beautiful language and suspenseful mystery to investigate human behavior and relationships." --Overflow Magazine
