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“The pursuit of transcendence in all kinds of forms—music, drugs, a McQueen minidress, and those things less tangible but no less powerfully felt—drives Michael Cunningham's best novel in more than a decade, The Snow Queen.”
— Vogue
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“The Snow Queen wears its contemporaneity lightly because the novel
really concerns itself with eternal themes: the quest for love, the unfairness
and inevitability of death, and the hope of a meaningful life…[A] thoughtful,
intimate novel.”
— USA Today
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“A potent portrait of two brothers
and their urgent midlife yearning to find some sense of purpose and belonging…He
artfully allows the reader direct access to [his characters’] hearts and minds
by using his gift for empathy and his own brand of stream of consciousness…A
the same time, Mr. Cunningham provides an impressionistic portrait of Brooklyn,
circa 2004, and of the East Village, some four years later…These snapshots
attest to his ability to give us an intimate sense of his characters’ daily
lives, while situating their hopes and dreams within the context of two moments
in history already slipping by.”
— New York Times
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“Regardless of your theological
position on signs and wonders, that voice, Cunningham’s inimitable style, is
the real miracle of The Snow Queen…He
writes so wisely about the cruel taunting of remission and the way illness both
deepens and frays romantic relationships, endowing the dying with a kind of
security and purpose that healthy people crave. His portrayal of the
once-blessed Meeks brothers, raised in expectation of fame and riches they’ll
never attain—not even close—is full of affecting pathos.”
— Washington Post
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“The same masterful language that
earned Cunningham a Pulitzer for The
Hoursin 1998 elevates this story…to a
gratifying examination of transcendence in ordinary life… Overall, The Snow Queen proves to be a fulfilling
literary experience, especially for fans of Cunningham’s previous work.”
— Los Angeles Magazine
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“The Snow Queen is inspired by classic fairy tales, though
Cunningham’s sensibilities skew in a thoroughly modern (even post-modern)
direction, resulting in a very beautiful hodgepodge…The lush writing is
gorgeous throughout…At a technical level The
Snow Queen is extraordinary.”
— Irish Independent
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“Whether taking readers along
on an ecstatic drug trip or picking over the fine line between creative genius
and maudlin tripe, Cunningham’s masterful eye for human observation leads the
way. Once again, he shows his talent for picking away the crust of familiarity
and revealing the diamond brilliance at the heart of every moment of our
lives.”
— Shelf Awareness
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“Tender, funny, and sorrowful, Cunningham’s beautiful novel is as radiant and shimmering as Barrett’s mysterious light in the sky, gently illuminating the gossamer web of memories, feelings, and hopes that mysteriously connect us to each other as the planet spins its way round and round the sun.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“Cunningham explores the
interconnected lives of Barrett, Tyler, and Beth, three individuals awaiting
deliverance from their own personal dystopia, a dilapidated Bushwick, Brooklyn,
apartment…Though these characters are all searching for redemption (whether
it’s through religion, rehab, or a cure), the secret of humanity is ultimately
revealed to each through the others’ lives. Verdict: In concise yet descriptive
language, Cunningham weaves the secret of transcendence through the mundane
occurrences of everyday life. Those who enjoyed his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Hours will be pleased to see similar
themes emerging in his newest novel.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
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“At its heart, Cunningham’s story
is about family, and how we reconcile our closest human relationships with our
innermost thoughts, hopes, and fears…Cunningham has not attempted to answer any
of life’s great questions here, but his poignant and heartfelt novel raises them
in spades.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“[A] study of fickle fate….He
deftly allows Barrett’s vision its power of wonderment while keeping the story
firmly realistic. References to fairy tales, magic, and miracles are sparingly
but strategically deployed.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“Narrator Clare Danes delivers an
exceptionally good performance. Her clear, thoughtful reading is suited to both
Cunningham’s moments of soaring, lyrical language and to the casual, irreverent
tone of the dialog among friends. Verdict: A well-written novel that’s enriched
by the audio performance.”
— Library Journal (starred audio review)
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“A swell of urgent stringed music introduces a
lovely narration by Claire Danes of award-winning author Michael Cunningham’s
latest novel. Danes’s melodious voice melds a story that spins from a Hans
Christian Andersen fairy-tale quotation to New York’s Central Park, where
Barrett Meeks sees something wondrous in the night sky…Narrating with clarity and a touch of gentleness, Danes
voices characters who sound typically American, while also infusing them with a
wonderment that subtly signals Cunningham’s transcendent examination of love,
fate, and the meaning of it all.”
— AudioFile
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“Narrator Claire Danes delivers an exceptionally good performance. Her clear, thoughtful reading is suited to both Cunningham's moments of soaring, lyrical language and to the casual, irreverent tone of the dialog among friends. A well-written novel that's enriched by the audio performance.
— Library Journal
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Quintessential New York listening, whether you're gliding across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset or mired in midtown gridlock.
— O Magazine
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Gracefully narrated by Claire Danes, this quiet story of yearning and connection becomes a surprisingly poignant audio.
— BookPage
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Narrating with clarity and a touch of gentleness, Danes voices characters who sound typically American, while also infusing them with a wonderment that subtly signals Cunningham's transcendent examination of love, fate, and the meaning of it all.
— AudioFile Magazine