Simone in Pieces

Reviews / Votes

"Brilliant in conception and dazzlingly adept in its technical execution, Simone in Pieces proves once again that Burroway is a national treasure. She is at the height of her prodigious powers, exploring the great and enduring theme of literary art: the yearning for a self, for an identity, for a place in the universe. This is a must read." - Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

"In this brilliantly structured novel, Burroway presents the life of her heroine through the eyes of characters who come irresistibly to life and in turn bring Simone to life. Burroway writes with virtuosic authority about a life spanning more than sixty years the result is both compelling and deeply satisfying. I would have followed Simone anywhere." - Margot Livesey, author of The Road from Belhaven

"This book is stupendous. I loved it so, so much. An assemblage, fragments that bring vividly to life a woman, an era, a world - or rather many worlds - this book is a marvel and a delight." - Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure

"If there were such a thing as a cubist novel, Simone in Pieces would define the genre. Every chapter captures the woman at its center from a different angle, each a dazzling surprise. Burroway has found a brilliant way to portray a woman in search of herself and her dire history, lost and found many times over." - Rosellen Brown, author of Before and After

"A capacious novel. For more than sixty years, Simone navigates her career and relationships, working through traumas and fragmented memory, and strives for self-realization during a precarious time for a woman academic. Moving, courageous, and thought provoking, Simone's quest is both a love story and a triumph over her childhood tragedies." - Yang Huang, author of My Good Son