“An Ambitious Tale of the American Nightmare”
March 24, 2015
“You have heard Alan Cheuse review books on National Public Radio and read his reviews in this newspaper. He has published novels and short stories. Now Fig Tree, a new independent press devoted to fiction about the American Jewish experience, has embraced his affecting multigenerational novel Prayers for the Living.”
Read Anne Morris’s full review for The Dallas Morning News online.
A Story “Mixed with Humor and Hardship”: New Review of PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING
March 6, 2015
“The story of Minnie, Manny, Maby, and Sarah is one mixed with humor and hardship, a curious Jewish American immigrant family and how they individually deal with tragedy.”
Read the full review by Jamie Wendt on the Jewish Book Council’s website.
SHELF AWARENESS on “the Powerful Saga of a Rabbi Turned Businessman’s Rise and Spectacular Fall”
March 6, 2015
“If this morally complex saga of one man’s rise and spectacular fall in late 20th century America is typical of the quality of the publisher’s titles, its future is promising.”
Read the full Shelf Awareness review by Harvey Freedenberg online.
PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING: “Fascinating Account of a Family in Turmoil”
March 5, 2015
In a review for Washington Jewish Week, Aaron Leibel summarizes Alan Cheuse’s Prayers for the Living as a “fascinating account of a family in turmoil” (and reminds the local community of an upcoming reading at Politics & Prose bookstore).
Read the full review online.
SUSPENSE MAGAZINE Explains Why COMPULSION “Has Stood the Test of Time”
March 4, 2015
“With a Foreword written by Marcia Clark, this re-released classic is an unforgettable, heart-wrenching story of murder.”
“Replete with beauty and heartbreak”: FOREWORD REVIEWS on PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING
February 27, 2015
“Prayers for the Living troubles notions of righteousness and forgiveness, madness, and fate, providing no easy answers while still leaving readers feeling edified. Cheuse’s is a challenging and intelligent novel, replete with beauty and heartbreak, and perhaps even containing a measure of redemption.”
Read Michelle Anne Schingler’s complete review for Foreword Reviews online.
“Acclaimed roman à clef” that “holds up as a landmark legal thriller”: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on COMPULSION
February 26, 2015
“The horrific murder in 1924 of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb inspired this acclaimed roman à clef, originally published in 1956.”
Read the rest of the review on the Publishers Weekly website.
BOOKLIST ONLINE on PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING
January 12, 2015
“Cheuse’s complex approach to storytelling via conversations, letters, and prayers is so much bigger than a typical narrative, as is this provocative story.”
Read more from Danise Hoover’s review for Booklist Online.
“Essential” Reading
December 10, 2014
“Libraries, especially in communities with large Jewish populations, will find this book essential.”