"RESTORATION is an elegantly constructed work of fiction, seamlessly moving between the past and the present, but what makes Olafsson's novel so compelling is his empathy and compassion for Alice Orsini, a woman trying to redeem her life in a country ravaged by war." - Ron Rash, bestselling author of SERENA and THE COVE "[Olaf's] literary skills bring Restoration to life on a windy Tuscan hilltop north of Florence.[and] shows the reader the permutations of love betrayed, and the enormous losses that war will claim." - Shelf Awareness "An elegant meditation on the interplay among politics, aesthetics, and personal ethics. It's also a surprisingly moving story about two women, each of whom struggles with grief and guilt as she navigates life during wartime.Gently paced [and] satisfying." - Boston Globe "[Olafsson's] understatement allows the tragedy to build until it speaks finally and devastatingly for itself." - The New Yorker "Undeniably graceful.
It is vulnerability that makes The Journey Home so complete and appealing." - Newsday "Luminous. Searing in its quietness, overwhelming in its intent, this novel of silence stands witness to the heroic nature of life - Booklist (starred review) "With a backdrop of the ravages of WWII, particularly as they affect the civilian population, Olafsson casts a keen eye on Germany's wartime acquisition of artistic masterpieces. A beautifully written literary novel of love, betrayal, reconciliation, and art." - Booklist "[A] beautifully realized novel.Olafsson masterfully depicts the interior lives of these women, creating a richly complex portrait of love and passion at work even as his harrowing depictions of daily life in war-torn Italy add additional depth and power to the novel." - Library Journal "An exceptional novel . Engrossing .
A tremendous accomplishment [and a] great triumph of novelistic imagination." - The Observer (London) "Undeniably graceful . It is vulnerability that makes The Journey Home so complete and appealing." - Los Angeles Times Book Review Praise for The Journey Home "Soulful and thoughtful . An impressively mature and wide-ranging book, both geographically and emotionally." - New York Times Book Review "Compelling . Akin to Thomas Mann . An astonishing story of confusion, loss, denial.
Olafsson has created a woman of such complexity and uncalculated charm that he will leave readers wishing that they could actually meet her before it's too late." - Chicago Sun-Times "A novel lifted by love, friendship and cooking. [The protagonist's] is a hard, unflinching life, and one skillfully revealed." - Time magazine.