Blessings (Juska) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[A] bighearted novel.... Juska's moving, multifaceted portrait of the Blessing family gleams like a jewel (A 2014 Best Book).
Philadelphia Inquirer


Takes us into the heart of one of Philadelphia's large Irish-Catholic families.... [T]he storytelling is confident and Juska writes movingly about the emotional life of individuals within a close social unit.
Toronto Star


There's no shortage of novels about the quirks and tragedies of large families, but The Blessings is a uniquely poignant, prismatic look at an Irish-Catholic clan as it rallies after losing one of its own.
Entertainment Weekly


(Starred review.) Several generations of the Blessings, a Philadelphia-based, Irish-American family, come beautifully to life in a deceptively simple tale that examines the foibles, disappointments and passions that tie family members together.... [T]he reader leaves feeling lucky to have spent some time in their presence.
Publishers Weekly


[Juska] is a shrewd observer of human nature and has an outstanding ability to bring her characters to life on the page.... This wonderfully readable work about family life will have you eagerly turning pages to find out what happens to characters about whom you really care. —Leslie Patterson, Rehoboth, MA
Library Journal


With each chapter, Juska takes readers into the life of a different family member, honoring the individuality that blossoms even amid the strong bonds of a family's deep love. She draws intimate and detailed sketches of each of these characters, but the ultimate portrait is of the Blessing family as a whole.
Booklist


Juska’s story is like leafing through an old family photo album, where typically unremarkable moments are captured in black and white. What makes the album unique isn’t its contents but the way each photo abuts or overlays the next.
Kirkus Reviews