Critical Praise

“A brilliantly balanced and engrossing work about illness, charity, and the very tenuous nature of goodness. Fans of contemporary fiction exploring the dangers of complacency and how domestic upheaval can lead to personal growth will enjoy; think Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, and Anita Shreve. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.”

—Jenn B. Stidham, Library Journal

“A graceful and deeply satisfying novel.”

—Cynthia Crossen, Wall Street Journal

“You’ll find abundant variations on the accidental family in fiction and in life, but the one Endicott selects for the childless, parentless, partnerless Clara is peerless-and literal. . . . Although Lorraine’s illness casts its shadow over everything, it’s the quieter introspective dramas, provided by Endicott’s skillful rotation among the characters’ points of view, that hold your attention. . . . John Updike once said the Pym’s ‘Excellent Women’ was ‘a startling reminder that solitude may be chosen, and that a lively, full novel can be constructed entirely within the precincts of that regressive virtue, feminine patience.’ And so it can.”

—Mary Jo Murphy, New York Times Book Review

“Probing the moral and emotional minefield of heroic Samaritan acts, Endicott’s enchanting and poignant novel of compassion run amok handles provocative issues with a deft and winsome touch.”

—Carol Haggas, Booklist (starred review)