David Birmingham, Canterbury
So full and rich that it knocks most Booker Prize winners into a cocked hat. The treatment of music is profoundly satisfying. And as for the portrayal of human love that informs the whole, it simply could not be bettered.

Sheila Crawford, Northumbria
A brilliant novel, totally inspirational. Even at my end of a teaching career it made me want to do things differently. I’ve never felt so clearly before the music/language link.

Sonja Egeland, Santa Barbara, California
Your words opened up my heart and my life in a way that nothing else could have done. My copy is well-worn by now as I have read it in every major transition in my life. I wanted to thank you and describe to you how deeply the words that you had the courage to place on a page have touched me.

Tina Hyder, London
A great read and a brilliant story. Very refreshing to read a story that is optimistic, romantic and serious (in the best sense!)

Premila Lewis, New Delhi
What a beautiful, moving story. If you don’t win prizes it will be strange indeed. Your delineation of the core relationships is amazingly rich and profound. Your life experiences must have taught you the remarkable strength, sensitivity and understanding of complexity that your writing expresses. I shall buy as many copies as I can afford, for the people I love most.

Peter Luff, Oxfordshire
Immensely powerful on a number of different levels. It illuminated so vividly both the politics of the era and the personal and social politics of the central characters. A deeply moving human story.

Ben Kwakye, Ghana
A powerful work, whose beautiful prose and accessibility belies its power – and in fact reinforces its total effect on the reader. Through Jennie we come to learn that if we confront and negotiate life, we can manage its sadness.

Jeanne Vickers, Geneva
I found it an extraordinary book – so poetic and profound. It is beautifully written. I loved it and wished it had not stopped where it did.

If you’d like to send your comments, email marionmolteno@longstonebooks.co.uk