"A brilliantly prismatic story. . . . Kingsolver is one of the finest living writers, and her latest will join Demon Copperhead and The Poisonwood Bible as another modern classic." - Library Journal (starred review)
"Brilliant, affecting work from one of contemporary literature's masters. . . . A fierce belief that great art is for everyone joins Kingsolver’s familiar preoccupations with class distinctions, social injustice, and the complex bonds of family and community in a tender denouement." - Kirkus (starred review)
"Barbara Kingsolver has done it again. In this masterfully orchestrated novel, an unexpected call forces a once-ascendent pianist to revisit the affair that reshaped her youth and the career that vanished alongside it. . . . Partita refuses easy distinctions between destiny and choice, showing how class background, family damage, and thwarted ambition can keep shaping us long after we believe their power has faded." - Oprah Daily
“[A] deeply wrenching novel. . . . Kingsolver understands that life can be an ingenious villain. Along with her decades-long environmentalism and her call for empathy and moral justice, her abiding theme is that we can survive the unsurvivable, which is fortunate because someone or something may be lurking nearby to make us prove it. Livia Cable, the Appalachia-bred narrator of Kingsolver’s new novel, Partita, is wry, resilient and as forthcoming a companion as you could ask for. . . . Kingsolver writes so transportingly about music and musicians. . .she takes on not just sexual obsession and classism, but also itchy what-ifs, human decency, the engulfing power of music and the butterfly effect of dreams deferred.” - The New York Times
"Kingsolver presents an enrapturing, brilliantly plotted, deeply personal, and profoundly insightful celebration of the life of the land, the skills and struggles of farmers, and the transcendent power of art to bring us together, make us feel 'more alive,' and make us whole." - Booklist
"Kingsolver is a Pulitzer Prize winner (Demon Copperhead) for a reason, and her ability to switch up topics and styles from bestseller to bestseller is nothing short of spectacular. In Partita, she touches on questions for the ages about what is and isn’t worth settling for while addressing many prongs of American life like class differences, abortion access, political disengagement and education inequality. She is forceful without ever being moralistic. Partita will surpass the high expectations of Kingsolver’s fans and draw many new readers along for the ride." - BookPage (starred review)
"An engrossing story. . . . Kingsolver shines in her character work. . . . This tragic story of long-held secrets will keep readers turning pages." - Publishers Weekly (Top 10 Fall Fiction)
“Partita is a Tess of the d’Urbervilles for the 21st century and it is packed with just as much feeling and heart. Without question it’s my novel of the year.” - The Sunday Times
"From the author of the much-loved Demon Copperhead (who doesn’t have this in their top 10 list?) comes a new book that feels like both a continuation and a departure. . . . The story was born out of Kingsolver’s love of both language and classical music; Partita weaves the two together with her usual grace and expert touch with words." - Elle
"Wrestles with the questions that have fueled [Kingsolver's] whole career--namely, who is art for, what makes it good, and what can it actually accomplish?" --The New Yorker
"A virtuosic performance." - The Financial Times
"Moving. . . . Expertly interweaving themes of class and healthcare, Kingsolver grapples with the question of artistic ambition versus family obligation." - Town and Country
"A tour-de-force exploration of music’s power to heal." - Washington Independent Review of Books
"Kingsolver’s magnificent Partita sings in the key of passion, yearning, and loss." - The Boston Globe
"Distinctly elegiac and holistic." - The Los Angeles Times
"A beautiful dual-timeline story." - Woman's World
"A triumph." - Chapter 16
