Critical Praise

"Alice in Exile is profoundly conventional, absolutely old-fashioned, and I confess to having missed a highly advertised fiesta in a Mexican mountain town just so I could stay in the hotel and find out what happened."

——Carolyn See, Washington Post

"A book of great compassion, lively dialogue and fine romance. You leave the feast feeling stirred and contented."

——Houston Chronicle

"It is a great relief to know that there are still such accomplished storytellers in our midst."

——Sunday Times (U.K.)

"Beautifully and vividly told, grippingly paced. . . . Read tells his story cogently but without shortcuts. He describes people, feelings, the wonders of nature and the intricacies of family life astutely, with nuance and sensibility. He is a joy to read, and one comes to the end of his tale with both fulfillment and sadness."

——Los Angeles Times

"Full of emotional, sensual and political awareness."

——Daily Telegraph (U.K.)

"Captures in a wealth of detail the essence of the period and testifies to Read's meticulous research."

——Literary Review (U.K.)

"[Read's] account of the Russian Revolution has a haunting vividness which few authors could ever hope to match."

——Mail on Sunday (U.K.)

"Moving, redemptive, and ultimately forgiving, Piers Paul Read's latest novel probes the baffling idiosyncrasies of the human condition. In Read's hands [the story] takes flesh as a novel that is traditional in form, yet full of energy and surprise."

——Saturday Times (U.K.)

"His accounts of revolutionary Russia . . . are brilliant. . . . It is a measure of Read's skill . . . that one never for a moment thinks of putting the book down."

——The Independent (U.K.)

"Few writers bring the past to life as vividly as Piers Paul Read. . . . Anyone who has enjoyed the best novels of Sebastian Faulks or William Boyd will love this one, and probably find it even better. The description of Alice's pre-revolution life in Russia is enchanting; the story once the first revolution breaks out [is] utterly gripping. It couldn't be better told. . . . A rare achievement."

——The Scotsman (U.K.)