Perfect Reviews for 'Perfect Lives'

Polly Samson's Perfect Lives has been receiving stunning reviews. This collection of intertwined short stories is the most perfect holiday reading. Lush, funny, tender. Put it on your Christmas list.

‘To describe a lyricist’s prose as lyrical might be almost tautological…but where she excels is in her lush and sensuous descriptions…delightful and poignant’ Guardian, Shena Mackay

‘Samson does not show off as a writer; her prose is clear and precise, but she makes it sparkle every now and then by producing a brilliant image … Perfect Lives has been worth the ten-year wait. I hope Polly Samson’s next collection comes along sooner’ Spectator, Susan Hill

‘She makes everyday tragedies her subject matter, but forever errs on the side of optimism. Like her character Tilda, a picture restorer who excels at “small fiddly work”, Samson’s nuanced depictions of these broken lives are moving without being sentimental, ultimately exposing the “gleam within the gloom”’ Sunday Times

‘Samson has a photographer’s eye for the gap between the surface detail of an individual’s polished, public persona and the tangled mess of heart strings within’ Daily Mail

‘This is a masterly book and it’s impossible not to start all over again the minute you finish reading it. More than simply a series of exquisitely crafted miniatures, it encompasses many of the larger delights of a full-length novel. Polly Samson loves these people, describing them with incisive wit and generous compassion’ Financial Times

‘As well as being an author Samson is also a lyricist which is very apparent in her beautiful, poetic writing. The links between these varied stories, which range from the bleak to the surreal, is not always immediately apparent so it will be a great pleasure to return for a second reading’ Daily Express

‘That physical, acid sensation of feeling wronged is frequently and beautifully evoked …I hesitate to call Samson’s collection perfect…It isn’t perfect, but it’s all the better for that.’ Independent on Sunday

‘utterly engrossing…a concise but affecting literary treat’ Elle

‘beautifully written’ Harper’s Bazaar