“Fresh and insightful: it’s not easy to characterise what makes a performance effective or otherwise, and critics often duck the responsibility altogether, but Dan Callahan is skilled at finding feisty, odd, intelligent ways to evaluate the ineffable.”
Sight & Sound Magazine “Fascinating. Masterfully written. Read Vanessa if you want a fully schooled lesson on the woman most of her peers think of as the greatest living actress.”
Liz Smith, New York Times bestselling author and long-time gossip columnist “Exceptional. … Writing a book about an actor while she is still alive is not easy, but Callahan thrives on the difficulties. … As for Dan Callahan, he seems to me a leader among young writers on film.”
David Thomson - San Francisco Chronicle “Dan Callahan’s Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman is a serious book about a serious woman. If Mr. Callahan’s book is not the last word on this great actress, it will certainly stand as an invaluable critical guide.”
Praise for Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman - The Wall Street Journal “Unsparing about Redgrave’s politics, Callahan shines in his analysis of her performances. He not only understands the technical aspects of acting but he has a romantic appreciation of its transcendent, near-magical qualities.”
Lloyd Rose - The Washington Post “A compelling survey into the work and spirit of one of the greatest actresses of the past half century, penned by one of the most trenchant and percipient writers covering movies today.”
William J. Mann, author of "Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn" and "Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood"