[ A] beguiling new novel about the mysteries of creativity from master storyteller Anthony Quinn... Every sentence he produces is a joy * Metro * A gripping mystery... Sweeping across centuries in its three interlinked sections, it summons the past effortlessly, as a vehicle for a plot that is both intricate and immaculately constructed... Quinn's most ambitious book to date and decidedly his best -- Alex Preston * Observer * Quinn is an accomplished writer at ease with the idioms of the past... He is also a subtle creator of character... opens up timeless themes of family, success and love -- Michael Prodger * New Statesman * Quinn is an intelligent analyst of the uncertainties of love and art * Sunday Times * These women's lives are gently and perceptively explored -- Antonia Senior * The Times * Gripping historical fiction * Good Housekeeping * [ A] stylish literary triptych... Quinn is a fine writer with an instinctive understanding of the pitfalls of the bohemian life * Mail on Sunday * A deft, century-hopping novel... delight[ s] in the granular details of an era, as well as a thorough knowledge of its broad sweep -- Imogen Hermes Gowar * Guardian * There is a delicious mystery at the heart of this novel * Daily Mail * One of my favourite writers... a breathtakingly ambitious novel that nails the small personal triumphs and tragedies of each woman's life -- Sarra Manning * Red * So versatile - Quinn seems to reinvent himself with every book * Jonathan Coe * A witty and affecting saga... It delights in exploring tiny, unexpected quirks of character and broad brushstrokes of greater emotion alike, and never fails to entertain -- Alexander Larman * Spectator * Quinn displays an impressive range of expression: the mannered, epistolary style of the early chapters gives way to touches of Victorian gothic, and then to crisp contemporary prose -- Kimberley Long * Financial Times * Truly magnificent... each part is separate and distinct, involving and compassionate, yet all are mysteriously connected... Period details sparkle in this elegant prose... This is Quinn's masterpiece -- Sue Gaisford * The Tablet * Quinn's books are unbeatable treats... His latest, a hall of mirrors across three centuries revolving around a single painting, is both about art and irresistibly artful * Dominic Dromgoole * Poignant, involving, beautiful and thoroughly entertaining... Quinn's best and most ambitious novel yet dances through three centuries, entwines the worlds of theatre and art in a thoroughly seductive embrace, and brings all his considerable gifts into play... This is a novel packed with pleasures -- Christobel Kent * Perspective Magazine * Pleasurable... The novel is a triptych, each part standing alone and quickly establishing its particular note and colour by means of language, carefully chosen detail and a sprinkling of familiar names * Times Literary Supplement * Quinn has an artist's eye and can mine drama from even the plainest parlour or afternoon in the park * Strong Words Magazine *
