Praise for this family of things

sunday independent

Best Reads of the Year So Far (1 July 2017)

'No more satisfying book has been published all year'.

'A wise, touching story about redemption from an author with a commanding voice. Every page is a delight.'

Irish Independent

'A captivating novel that sings with insight into human frailty and sadness.'

'It's mature and measured, and speckled with phrases and thoughts that demand to be read again, and relished, and remembered.'

'Wise, beautiful, sympathetic'

irish times

'a beautifully intricate study which lays bare the twin pulls of joy and despair that are the metronome beat of life . . . Jameson keeps the pendulum moving until we reach a determinedly unsentimental – and much more satisfying for it – place'

RTÉ Arena

'well drawn . . . beautifully done'

'not afraid to show what goes on behind closed doors'

RTE.IE

'The characters are beautifully drawn, and at times the writing is very subtle indeed.'

'This Family of Things is an engrossing read, I would recommend it highly.'

irish tatler

Editor's Choice (June 2017)

'A compelling study of  the lives of three siblings.'

PRAISE FOR LITTLE BEAUTY

The Sunday Independent

'Alison Jameson's third novel, Little Beauty, is a thing of beauty in itself, a gem of a book.'

'The phrases and images linger long after you have put the book down and certain moments . . . are both hilarious and heartbreaking.' 

'Jameson has given us a sophisticated story that is deeply engaging and beautifully written.' 

The Irish Times   

 Paperback of the Week (31 August 2013)

'Finely crafted and featuring a brilliantly complicated heroine, Jameson’s heartbreaking third novel is a moving story about social mores and the power of parental love.'

'This is a wonderfully unsentimental and entertaining portrait of an island community in thrall to the sea and the wind, where the local busybodies brandish “handbags like weapons” and, for better or worse, everybody knows everybody else’s business.'

The Sunday Times

'[A] Treasure of an island tale' 

'Jameson's crisp and sharp delivery . . . never sacrifices sensitivity'   

'Memorable writing'

'Jameson resists melodrama. . . . With original characters and flinty dialogue, this darkly stylish tale of human behaviour shorn of romantic illusions scarcely wastes a word.' 

RTE Radio 1

 'An absolute gem'.

'I found myself having to put down the novel to wipe away tears a couple of times'.

'A great read'.

Irish Independent

'Funny, engaging and ultimately heart-breaking . . . an impressive portrayal of motherhood and sacrifice'.

'A novel that lingers in the mind'.

Bord Gáis Energy Book Club

'A tender and delicate story of fragility and strength and the many forms that they may take.'  

'Jameson writes in a refreshingly simple, charming and measured way. There is a dreamy, whimsical quality to it, her sentences flow effortlessly creating beautifully intimate portraits of people whose sense of place informs so much about how they respond to the world. This is an intensely sad, heartfelt, thoughtful book that is a pleasure to savour.'

Sunday Business Post

  'Writing . . . full of descriptions that are as fresh and surprising as her protagonist.'

'Jameson paints an unsentimental picture of island life, capturing . . . the beauty of the landscape.' 

Image Magazine

Book of the Month (August 2013) 

'A colourful, fast-paced read'.

Sunshine Radio

'A really interesting book'.

'Beautifully written'.

'A deep read. . . . You'll enjoy it'.

PRAISE FOR UNDER MY SKIN

The Sunday Times

'A woman of substance…Alison Jameson's novels offer a complex portrait of contemporary women and the choices they face.'

'Off beat and wry'

'Jameson riffs off prose closer in style to John Cheever'
 

The Irish Times

'Surrender to Jameson's almost fairytale-like story telling and just believe.'

'There is a vulnerable quality to her writing along with a biting humour than never descends into cliché and sentences that are so effortlessly beautiful that I wanted to read them twice.'

'Jameson is a rare talent in a sea of often mediocre popular fiction.'

'A gorgeous, intelligent novel'

'One of her great skills is her depiction of lost souls…those people without a steady place in the world searching for somewhere to dock.'

PRAISE FOR THIS MAN AND ME

The Irish Times

'Jameson has no problem keeping her readers hooked'

'She dispenses not the cheap drug of romance but the hard-won intoxicant of perceptive and humorous writing.'

'Beautifully precise insights'

'Exciting 'and talented

'Written with such intelligence, quirky humor and acute observation'
 

Ireland on Sunday

'A beautifully written first novel'

'Precisely observed and described with marvelous accuracy and tenderness'
 

Irish Daily Mail

'Beautifully poetic phrases'

'Funny and observational'
 

Sunday Independent

'A warm hearted and accomplished debut novel'

'Never predictable … conveyed with such warmth and sharpness that you avidly turn each page, hungry to learn what is ahead'

'Jameson has set her standards high'

Irish Examiner

'An author with monumental talent'

'Utterly accomplished'
 

Irish Tatler

'Alison Jameson has found her niche writing intelligent, best selling fiction'

'Off beat, observational style'

'Particularly good on the comedy of mis-matched love partners'
 

Image

'A bittersweet, beautifully-written novel'