"I read several [passages] to my wife Cindy, who was very struck by the language ... The writing is flawless and I found myself drawn in from the beginning by the storytelling."
Ninnau & Y Drych "An engrossing and ambitious debut novel ... Tilson is a very competent writer, with a gift for authentically describing moments of historical significance through the ... Read moreeyes of a child ... deeply gratifying."
The National Post "The Monkey Puzzle Tree is no soft sell. It is a well-written, clear-eyed look at the evacuation of small children from British cities during the Second World War."
The Ottawa Citizen "The Monkey Puzzle Tree is filled with references to domestic and cultural life, both good and bad, in 20th-century Britain. Along with the comforting beef jelly, marmalade, Everyman's Library, Shirley Temple dolls and 'We'll Meet Again,' the reader is presented with insidious anti-Semitism and blatant discrimination toward Irish Catholics. Tilson depicts time and place with expert handling ... The Monkey Puzzle Tree is a fine first novel."
The Telegraph-Journal "The novel transitions easily between present and past ... in The Monkey Puzzle Tree, Sonia Tilson gently leads us into paragraphs of deep emotion ... a very readable book."
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