“A Beautiful Story”: Alan Cheuse’s PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING
September 22, 2015
“Kudos to Cheuse for not only telling a beautiful story, but for doing so in a unique manner.”
Not the Usual Stuff of Mainstream Fiction: A Review of THE SEA BEACH LINE
September 16, 2015
“Best of all are the sympathetic, Steinbeck-like portraits of the lives of street people whom most of us ignore.”
“If Jewelry Could Talk”: On Jessamyn Hope’s SAFEKEEPING
September 16, 2015
“One of the most assured debut novels in years, the book takes on a lot of challenges — structural, temporal and thematic — and meets them one by one. It’s a page-turner that satisfies all the cravings of escapist reading while meeting the real world head-on.”
“So Many Things to Love” About SAFEKEEPING
September 15, 2015
“There are so many things to love about Jessamyn Hope’s debut novel, Safekeeping. There’s the beautiful writing, of course. There’s also the story itself, which is both unique and fascinating, and, though it spans generations, never feels too far removed to be relatable. There are the unreliable characters, who constantly make you seesaw between rooting for […]
“How a Heart Breaks”: A Review of PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING
August 25, 2015
“‘It’s an old story, darling,’ Minnie says, opening the book, and she is right. It’s one of the oldest stories in the book: the sweeping, expansive limits of a mother’s love.”
“Powerful Debut Novel” Reviewed by Jewish Book Council
August 17, 2015
“Readers interested in the development of Zionist ideology and its enduring impact on the relationships between members of kibbutzim will find Hope’s novel interesting and moving.”
“Very Strongly Recommended”: Midwest Book Review on SAFEKEEPING
August 17, 2015
“An impressively written debut novel, ‘Safekeeping’ establishe[s] author Jessamyn Hope as [a] talented writer able to deftly craft a complex work of definitive originality that raptly holds the reader’s attention from beginning to end. Very strongly recommended for community library General Fiction collections….”
“A Mesmerizing Narrative” — and a Starred Review
August 14, 2015
“The interweaving of Izzy’s search with Hasidic tales and the realities of life on the streets results in a mesmerizing narrative that will speak to any readers who have tried to make sense of their parents’ lives or the secrets that people keep.”
From “the Bookshelf”
August 12, 2015
In which Lisa Silverman describes a book whose writing “is emotionally charged and beautifully done.”
“A Fascinating Fictional Journey to the Kibbutz”
August 3, 2015
“Jessamyn Hope has written a wonderful first novel that stays with you long after you have finished the last page.”