"Like We All Want Impossible Things, Newman''s new novel is borne along by her humor . the story is ultimately about harnessing the power of love and family bonds to overcome sadness and loss." - Amherst Bulletin "Newman is the kind of writer who could write 200 pages about paint drying and keep the reader entranced throughout . A lovely and disciplined novel that accomplishes something remarkable: It''s a book about the beach that is too good to be considered a beach read." - The Hippo "This clever novel . paints a vivid picture of family life and proves that middle-aged characters can be funny, sympathetic and fascinating. It is a beautifully written, moving novel that touches on the complexity of female sexuality and fertility and explores how every pregnancy leaves an indelible mark." - The Observer "An optimistic menopause novel .
Sandwich has a line about something being ''a wolf in clown''s clothing,'' which is an apt description for this book . a funny, readable story about love and family and agreeable clam shack dinners, but in between, it digs up the bloody parts of being a woman and mother . Rocky is me and my sisters and every one of my friends--alternately joyful, forgetful, and enraged." - LIBER "A beach novel to pass on to your best friends, no matter what the season." - Oprah Magazine, "Best Books of 2024" "This book has the best description of sandy toes and salty swimsuits I have ever read . It will remind you of the warm and fuzzy feelings you get watching kids romp on the beach combined with the bittersweet reminder of swiftly passing time." - Good Morning America "I loved this little beautiful book. You could put it in your beach bag and read it in one sitting.
I did . The ultimate beach read." - Jenna Bush Hager "It''s a real beauty." - Glennon Doyle, We Can Do Hard Things podcast "I adore Catherine Newman''s warm voice and quirky writing style. Her characters are always full of heart, funny, and vulnerable in ways that will make you feel seen and heard. I still can''t stop thinking about her last book, We All Want Impossible Things (she somehow made hospice care hilarious?!), and I ripped through her latest, Sandwich, in about a day . Pour yourself a crisp glass of wine, dip your toes in the sand, and enjoy the ride." - Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editors'' Picks "What makes Sandwich different from where other novels may go with this set-up is that love and family are the anchors.
There is drama, but it is quieter . That is the strength of this novel. That, and the lovely portrayal of traditions that go back years and have thus become cherished. Newman''s writing is so on point about this that anyone who has gone to a beloved spot many times will recognize their own trips." - Daily Kos "A beautiful story about family . Newman addresses topics like motherhood, love, aging, grief, regret and more in such a realistic way." - Woman''s World "This novel is universally, unanimously loved. How could it not be, with Catherine Newman''s hilarious and heartfelt writing driving its success? She''s skilled at elevating the mundane, weaving insightful intricacies into the truths of our home and family lives.
Newman''s writing is witty and sparkles with wisdom, and she''s able to balance both levity and depth. Ultimately, I came to the last page with a renewed appreciation for the beautiful chaos that weaves itself all throughout life." - Today''s Chronic "If you like my novels, you will love love love this . I stand in awe, it''s just perfect." - Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Swan Song "I couldn''t love it more, can''t stop talking about it, can''t stop texting full paragraphs to my friends saying, Right!!??? . It''s so completely fun and laugh-out-loud funny the way summer reads are supposed to be." - Jenny Rosenstrach, Cup of Jo "If you''re looking for something short and snappy, read Sandwich. The new novel from Catherine Newman, the author of We All Want Impossible Things, is a pure delight.
" - The Skimm "Catherine Newman has the most effervescent way of elevating mundane situations--from making a sandwich to fumbling with technology to arguing with your spouse. I''ve loved every Catherine Newman book I''ve read--from her nearly 10-year-old parenting memoir Waiting for Birdy to her devastatingly sad (and hilarious) novel We All Want Impossible Things--and this one, about the undeniable weirdness of raising adult children and caring for aging parents (all while spending a week at the beach) is no exception." - Kveller "I love [Newman''s] writing . I flew through it. I really think it''s going to be everywhere this summer . it''s incredibly human and real and tender and I loved it. Catherine Newman is so talented." - Carola Lovering, ABC/Good Morning America "With the pacing of a thriller, observations akin to poetry and real-life conflict like memoir, Newman''s novel about one family''s week on Cape Cod should find a place in your beach bag, even if your own summer vacation is in Bali.
The menopausal Rocky, her husband, their two grown children (along with one''s partner), and her aged parents enjoy time-honored traditions but also have to figure out how to negotiate time''s changes on all of them." - Los Angeles Times "Catherine is a national treasure." - Molly Wizenberg, I''ve Got A Feeling newsletter "Sandwich will have you laughing through your tears . You''ll be screenshotting paragraphs of this heartbreakingly honest novel to send to your friends." - Real Simple "Sandwich is my idea of the perfect summer novel: shimmering and substantive. One more aspect of Newman''s book deserves highlighting: like many other recent novels by best-selling female authors--I''m thinking of Jennifer Weiner, Ann Patchett, and Megan Abbott--Newman introduces a storyline here about abortion. She writes about that contested subject--and the emotions it engenders--in a way that I''ve never encountered in fiction before." - Maureen Corrigan, NPR''s "Fresh Air" "If you want a book that has you from ''hello,'' this is the one.
" - Ann Patchett, PBS NewsHour "Books with this one''s warmth and humor are truly rare." - Good Housekeeping "[Sandwich] practically glows with family feeling . [it] has much in common with Ann Patchett''s Tom Lake, though Patchett''s novel doesn''t have an older generation, a key element here . The laughter begins on the first page . and the great lines and witty observations never stop." - Washington Post "Newman . has skillfully crafted both setting and characters in this novel that will resonate with all in the "sandwich generation," caregivers for parents and children alike . There is just enough humor thrown in that readers may laugh as much as they cry at the all-too-relatable situations and the razor-sharp witty conversations among the family members.
Women''s fiction readers will gobble this delicious (though at times heartbreaking) sandwich right up." - Library Journal (starred review) "Secrets are confessed and ties between parents and their adult children are tested on a week''s vacation in Cape Cod. Newman''s light touch keeps this family drama from slipping into melodrama. Feels like eating pastries (from the "good" bakery) over coffee while venting to my mother on the beach." - Boston Globe "Completely did me in with its heartbreak and humor . so well told." - Detroit News "Catherine Newman is basically a national treasure, at this point, and so it''s not surprising that this new, hilarious, deeply moving, gorgeously plotted, beautifully written, slyly subversive novel hit me like a ton of bricks." - Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year "At times laugh out loud funny, often earthy and irreverent, the book nevertheless also tackles subjects as serious as life and death .
The unexpected everyday just keeps coming, in a book with love as its theme, overtly present in every scene: love for children, parents, for enormous sandwiches shared on sandy beaches, for a summer cabin in Sandwich, Massachusetts barely big enough to hold this modern, messy, funny family." - San Francisco Chronicle "Newman is a very funny writer. The laughter begins on the first page . and the great lines and witty observations never stop." - Weekly Reader "Newman is warm, generous, always funny--but always with the intent to make you laugh at yourself as much as the characters. A beach novel to pass onto your best friends." - Oprah Daily "I just finished Catherine Newman''s latest novel, Sandwich. I was reading it while waiting at my daughter''s ballet class, and I was crying-snorting-laughing.
" - Erin Boyle, Big Salad Newsletter "I don''t laugh out loud very often when I''m reading books, but I did while I was reading Sandwich. And I bet I smiled an average of three times per page. Catherine Newman''s novel is tons of fun.I bet parents will relate to the nostalgia of Sandwich, which skirts up against sentiment without ever crossing the line because, like Thornton Wilder in the play Our Town, Newman is adept at capturing the everyday details of life that seem insignificant at the time but turn out to have shape.