Henry and Clara

Praise for Thomas Mallon's Henry and Clara Amazing . . . one of the most interesting American novelists at work. --John Updike, The New Yorker The powerful story is superbly told. . . . You can't ask for much more from historical fiction. --The Washington Post Book World Ambitious in scope and depth . . . Mallon makes good use of sharp, disturbing twists on familiar themes. --The New York Times Book Review A transporting, beautifully written novel as authentic in its period detail as it is in its rich characterizations. --Entertainment Weekly Riveting . . . Mallon's most polished gem to date. --Chicago Tribune A pitch-perfect rendering . . . Mesmerizing and assiduously researched. --The Philadelphia Inquirer A powerful reconstruction of actual events. --New Orleans Times-Picayune From the footnotes of American history, Mallon has pulled authentic figures and embroidered a compelling novel. --Booklist A masterly blend of fact and fiction. --Albany Times Union Mallon . . . outdoes himself in this re-creation, which raises the private consequences of history to what seems their deserved status--legend. --Publishers Weekly All written history is a work of imagination, but seldom is it rendered as skillfully as in Henry and Clara. --Raleigh News and Observer Beautifully written, Henry and Clara is marked by tender passion, and its characters are, for all their faults, endearing. --National Review A stately and elegant historical novel of classic proportions. . . . Mallon's book is smart and engaging, and he manages to bring his characters fully alive while never allowing us to forget that they are truly creatures of another era. --Los Angeles Times An imaginative alteration of events, a provocative might-have-been. . . . Some of Mallon's finest writing goes into Henry's letters home. . . . Triumphantly successful as a suspenseful and satisfying work of art. --The New Criterion