"Eça de Queirós ought to be up there with Balzac, Dickens, and Tolstoy as one of the talismanic names of the nineteenth century."
London Observer ""What does Eça’s Portugal feel like? It is dominated by hot sunny days, white trousers, dust, theater tickets and evening strolls in Sintra, roses in buttonholes and glimpses of gowned women getting in and ... Read moreout of coaches, gorgeous landscapes and trees and flowers, hale farmers and country maids, long conversations, cats and singing birds and orchards, pumpkins drying on a station roof, baked sweet rice, and cheese pastries.""
James Guida - New York Review of Books "The plot is full of surprises... It’s rare to find such a thrilling portrait of the writer at work. (...) José Maria de Eça de Queirós, where have you been all my life?"
Lorin Stein - The Paris Review "A writer of mesmerizing literary power. We should be grateful for such blessings."
Michael Dirda - Washington Post Book World "A writer of genius."
Harold Bloom "Eça de Queirós was a god, and this is a translation by another deity (Margaret Jull Costa), so make sure to take a look."
Scott Esposito "His excellent prose glides through real experience and private dream in a manner that is leading on toward the achievements of Proust."
V. S. Pritchett Show Less