Sunday 1 January 2012

The Cushion Effect: Review of Reviews 2011

 A synopsis of the comments of reviewers in the first three months following publication of The Cushion Effect available at Amazon.com

Overall impressions
LJL: “cool, sophisticated”
SA: “funky and fun and often moving to read”
RG: “one cannot put it down”
JDK: a subtly incremental, strangely ingratiating tour de force of sheer literary brilliance”
JS: “elements of romance, comedy, suspense and realism combine to make this book an all round enjoyable read for all tastes”
JDK: “a debut novel that is the literary equivalent of Orson Welles' directorial debut with Citizen Kane”
RG: “thoroughly recommended”

The story
RG: “starts with the bewilderment of three very different women at the breakdown of their marriages as they proceed to identify causes of the male menopause”
LJL: “three very different and yet similar women in terms of their social status and situations reflect the conflicts and challenges of their apparently comfortable modern lives through the subtle interactions that take place between them and the significant others in their lives”
RG: “it scans the episodes in their lives over several years, reaching its conclusion with an ironic sympathy”

The writing
LJL: “well paced and beautifully, almost delicately written with a richness and sensuality that reflects it's time and place”
JDK: “an artisan's ear for a clever turn of phrase that rivals Noel Coward's for pure wit and lyricism”
SA: “full of bright, fine lines”

The style
JS:  “the story has a natural flow to it which makes it particularly difficult to put down”
RG: “it mixes tenderness, romance and passion with an objective eye for the comic and the absurd”
MS: “refreshingly original”

My thanks to all the reviewers in 2011.

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