"Memorable characters, comic timing, originality, economy and poignancy. . . . The reader thanks Simpson's eye and ear for such generosity." --
The New York Times Book Review "England's best living short-story writer." --
The Boston Globe "Powerful. . . . The warmth and humour of Simpson's writing is coupled with a sharp-eyed clarity and a steady gift for the descriptive detail." --
Financial Times "Tenderly measured, and entirely human. It's this tightrope balance between our outer lives and inner expanses that continues to make her writing sing." --
The Guardian "Wonderful. . . . A vital (and pleasurable) voice. . . . Her understated yet insightful conjuring of characters' pains and fears strikes to the icy core of universal truths." --
The Independent on Sunday "Elegant fable-like pieces. . . . Truthful, funny and sharp. . . . Gently ground-breaking." --
The Sunday Times (London)
"Reading Simpson's stories makes you feel less alone in the world." --
Literary Review "Remarkable. . . . Joy and its flipside, pain, are frequently glimpsed together . . . Simpson has a fine ear for the cadence of everyday speech and for the truths that may lie behind the most mundane of expressions." --
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
"Witty, hilarious and deeply discomfiting." --
The Spectator
"Uplifting and sensitive tales. . . . Examines the preoccupations of middle-age--jobs, ageing, friendship--with warmth, wit and breathtaking artistry." --
Daily Mail "Witty, incandescent. . . . Invigorating and inspiring." --
New York Journal of Books
"Far-reaching and timeless, addressing matters of loyalty and mortality that are universal and deeply human. Simpson's stories pack a quiet emotional power that extends beyond their pages." --
Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"Universal insights arise out of the ordinary. . . . With wit and keen perception, [Simpson] tackles the cultural assumptions, versus true experience, of middle age in everyday situations." --
Booklist