"[ The Book of Goose ] is mysterious, but it bears its mystery lightly, with Li''s understated style touching on large ideas--such as the unswerving quality of childhood friendships or the discordant relationship between time and memory . In moving from writing about the resoundingly ''empty words'' of communist thought to the dilemmas in absolute freedom, Li seems to be exploring just this special way of knowing that the novel, in her expert hands, continues to offer." --Anjum Hasan, Los Angeles Review of Books "An atmospheric and evocative coming-of-age story." --Elizabeth Crachiolo, Historical Novel Society "An interesting cassoulet of friendship, fantasy, and the predatory nature of fame . Yiyun Li presents her readers with a fascinating question: What is real -- the stories the world concocts about us or the ones we fabricate about ourselves?" --Patricia Schultheis, Washington Independent Review of Books "A magnificent, beguiling tale winding from the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school to the quiet Pennsylvania home where Agnès can live without her past. The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will." -- San Francisco Bay Times (Top of Your Stack) "Take the knife that Li offers, cut through all these outer trappings, and you find something much more mysterious. Though it is ostensibly a realist historical novel about the lives of women and girls in mid-century France.
The Book of Goose secretly dwells in the realm of fairy tale . [Li exploresm the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school to the quiet Pennsylvania home where Agnès can live without her past. The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will." -- San Francisco Bay Times (Top of Your Stack) "Take the knife that Li offers, cut through all these outer trappings, and you find something much more mysterious. Though it is ostensibly a realist historical novel about the lives of women and girls in mid-century France. The Book of Goose secretly dwells in the realm of fairy tale . [Li exploresm the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school to the quiet Pennsylvania home where Agnès can live without her past. The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will.
" -- San Francisco Bay Times (Top of Your Stack) "Take the knife that Li offers, cut through all these outer trappings, and you find something much more mysterious. Though it is ostensibly a realist historical novel about the lives of women and girls in mid-century France. The Book of Goose secretly dwells in the realm of fairy tale . [Li exploresm the postwar rural provinces to Paris, from an English boarding school to the quiet Pennsylvania home where Agnès can live without her past. The Book of Goose is a story of disturbing intimacy and obsession, of exploitation and strength of will." -- San Francisco Bay Times (Top of Your Stack) "Take the knife that Li offers, cut through all these outer trappings, and you find something much more mysterious. Though it is ostensibly a realist historical novel about the lives of women and girls in mid-century France. The Book of Goose secretly dwells in the realm of fairy tale .
[Li explores outer trappings, and you find something much more mysterious. Though it is ostensibly a realist historical novel about the lives of women and girls in mid-century France. The Book of Goose secretly dwells in the realm of fairy tale . [Li explores] the strange power of the myths we form about the people who shape us." --Sarah Chihaya, The Atlantic "There is a fairy-tale atmosphere, mystery as deep and dark as the soil, but also specific historical context . Everything is conveyed through layers of translation, subjectivity and invention. The impact is profound." --Max Liu, The i Paper "A novel of meticulous philosophical inquiry, roaming from the nature of reality and the truth quotient of fact, memory and fiction to the instantaneousness of childhood friendship - so much more ''fatal'', as Agnès puts it, than the endlessly crooned about love at first sight.
" --Hephzibah Anderson, The Guardian "This is a novel of deceptions and cruelty . But within this somber mood is something brilliant. With characteristic poise, Li depicts the intricacies of ordinary lives: childhood friendship, growing up, and existences as slow as the passively ''floating'' geese Agnès watches." --Francesca Peacock, The Spectator "Li''s books render the world so sharply that they might draw blood, but they are also shot through, I think, with an extraordinary hopefulness . they possess a fullness, a deep love of both language and character." --Lynn Steger Strong, The Los Angeles Times "A compulsively readable meditation on how our closest friendships harbor both love and hate--and how we can fail each other over and over again . Li''s crystalline, insightful prose adds incredible depth to the drama, yet the dynamic between the girls remains the complex heart of The Book of Goose ." --Sarah Rose Etter, BOMB "A subtly suspenseful and inventive novel of friendship, opportunism, fame, fantasy, success and survival.
" -- BookBrowse (five-star review) "Not since John Knowles'' A Separate Peace has a novel wrung such drama from two teens standing face to face on a tree branch." --Kevin Canfield, Star Tribune "Haunting . The Book of Goose is a fascinating period piece . focused on the prickly relationship between [Li''sr>--Francesca Peacock, The Spectator "Li''s books render the world so sharply that they might draw blood, but they are also shot through, I think, with an extraordinary hopefulness . they possess a fullness, a deep love of both language and character." --Lynn Steger Strong, The Los Angeles Times "A compulsively readable meditation on how our closest friendships harbor both love and hate--and how we can fail each other over and over again . Li''s crystalline, insightful prose adds incredible depth to the drama, yet the dynamic between the girls remains the complex heart of The Book of Goose ." --Sarah Rose Etter, BOMB "A subtly suspenseful and inventive novel of friendship, opportunism, fame, fantasy, success and survival.
" -- BookBrowse (five-star review) "Not since John Knowles'' A Separate Peace has a novel wrung such drama from two teens standing face to face on a tree branch." --Kevin Canfield, Star Tribune "Haunting . The Book of Goose is a fascinating period piece . focused on the prickly relationship between [Li''s Canfield, Star Tribune "Haunting . The Book of Goose is a fascinating period piece . focused on the prickly relationship between [Li''sr>--Francesca Peacock, The Spectator "Li''s books render the world so sharply that they might draw blood, but they are also shot through, I think, with an extraordinary hopefulness . they possess a fullness, a deep love of both language and character." --Lynn Steger Strong, The Los Angeles Times "A compulsively readable meditation on how our closest friendships harbor both love and hate--and how we can fail each other over and over again .
Li''s crystalline, insightful prose adds incredible depth to the drama, yet the dynamic between the girls remains the complex heart of The Book of Goose ." --Sarah Rose Etter, BOMB "A subtly suspenseful and inventive novel of friendship, opportunism, fame, fantasy, success and survival." -- BookBrowse (five-star review) "Not since John Knowles'' A Separate Peace has a novel wrung such drama from two teens standing face to face on a tree branch." --Kevin Canfield, Star Tribune "Haunting . The Book of Goose is a fascinating period piece . focused on the prickly relationship between [Li''sr>--Francesca Peacock, The Spectator "Li''s books render the world so sharply that they might draw blood, but they are also shot through, I think, with an extraordinary hopefulness . they possess a fullness, a deep love of both language and character." --Lynn Steger Strong, The Los Angeles Times "A compulsively readable meditation on how our closest friendships harbor both love and hate--and how we can fail each other over and over again .
Li''s crystalline, insightful prose adds incredible depth to the drama, yet the dynamic between the girls remains the complex heart of The Book of Goose ." --Sarah Rose Etter, BOMB "A subtly suspenseful and inventive novel of friendship, opportunism, fame, fantasy, success and survival." -- BookBrowse (five-star review) "Not since John Knowles'' A Separate Peace has a novel wrung such drama from two teens standing face to face on a tree branch." --Kevin Canfield, Star Tribune "Haunting . The Book of Goose is a fascinating period piece . focused on the prickly relationship between [Li''s Canfield, Star Tribune "Haunting . The Book of Goose is a fascinating period p.