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“Wonderland is a witty and
unflinching novel about life, love, art, and sound checks. A deep howl and a
bittersweet song, this is D’Erasmo’s best yet.”
— Sam Lipsyte, New York Times bestselling author
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“D’Erasmo’s prose is lyrical and alive—this is a vital,
powerful novel—and Wonderland will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever dreamed of getting a second chance.”
— Elliott Holt, Pushcart Prize–winning author
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“The world of Wonderland is
authentic, vibrant, and genuine. Stacey D’Erasmo explores the delight and
terror of second chances. A great read!”
— Michael Stipe, former lead vocalist for REM
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“Briskly addictive…Some sentences
dance like wind chimes in a hurricane; others evanesce…D’Erasmo expertly
conjures the seductive uncharted space that lures the sculptor, the musician.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine
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“D’Erasmo’s writing exhibits a
life-and-death intimacy that grabs at us.”
— USA Today
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“Her story reads like an unusually
lucid travel journal...In Brundage, D’Erasmo has created a wry, questioning,
sensual artist.”
— New Yorker
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“Stacey D’Erasmo’s most impressive accomplishment in
her fourth novel, Wonderland, is to
write about music well…Implicitly, the lesson for Anna is that artistic vitality should never be taken for granted, must be seized while still within reach...D’Erasmo is a gifted and skillful writer.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“Stacey D’Erasmo’s exquisite Wonderland...succeeds, not through bombast but with beautifully measured, understated writing and meticulous characterization...Wonderland is a
distillation of what it means to be a working artist in the early twenty-first
century and also of what it means to grow up in the shadow of a great artist…Wonderland is a striking evocation of
the artist’s quest.”
— Los Angeles Times
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“Heartbreakingly intense…[a]
dramatically satisfying, philosophically complex novel.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
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“Dreamy...[with] finely tuned
prose…Given the book’s sensual imagery and magnetic heroine, it’s hard not to
wonder what Anna would sound like—I pegged her as some combination of Björk,
Florence and the Machine, and Janis Joplin.”
— Mother Jones
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“A story of second chances, D’Erasmo has meticulously crafted a
work that…constantly
builds, yet often feels incredibly casual. Days and shows pass, but
within this routine, a transformation slowly creeps into the narrative:
that of commitment, and, perhaps, hope for the future.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“D’Erasmo avoids clichés in this
rhapsodic portrait of a rock-and-roll diva like a champion slalom skier
racing downhill without touching a single pole…Close to
excruciatingly observant, often lonely, sharply funny, and prone to
problematic love, Anna is an irresistible narrator. D’Erasmo brings us
inside the music and the musician’s psyche in this transfixing song of a
self evolving through discovery, loss, and renewal.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“Narrator Xe
Sands’ whispery soft voice is a good match for this introspective novel about
Anna Brundage…Sands’ performance adds to the surreal quality of life on the
road, and she’s especially good at handling the numerous sexual encounters…Sands’
narration is near flawless.”
— AudioFile
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“An aging rock singer heads to Europe for one more attempt to reckon with her music, her father, and an old flame…A better-than-average rock novel that thoughtfully addresses aging, art and relationships.”
— Kirkus Reviews