Grammarians (Schine) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[D]elightful…. Schine's novels… are often as witty as they are erudite…. Schine takes her readers on deep philosophical dives but resurfaces with craft and humor; her tone is amused and amusing…. What holds The Grammarians aloft, ultimately, is its riveting love story—not the tale of the twins or their respective marriages but of their deep bond with language.
New York Times Book Review


Captivating…. [W]ritten with the tender precision and clarity of a painting by Vermeer…. [A] wry and elegant novel.
Associated Press


This tale of twins who "elbow each other out of the way in the giant womb of the world" is smart, buoyant and bookish—in the best sense of the word.
Heller McAlpin - NPR


Cathleen Schine’s new novel, The Grammarians, is a rich study of the factions that attempt to define how language should be used.
The New Yorker


Schine’s sparkling latest has a prickly underside that keeps it anchored to the daily stresses of family life.… [T]he affectionate tension between the twins provides enough conflict for a lifetime. This coolly observant novel should please those who share the twins’ obsession with slippery language.
Publishers Weekly


Laurel and Daphne, identical-twin wordsmiths with fiery red hair, are this novel’s protagonists, but language is its heart ... central as words may be to this witty tale of sibling rivalry, Schine also suggests that there are some things they just can’t quite capture.
Booklist


(Starred review) Schine's warmth and wisdom about how families work and don't work are as reliable as her wry humor, and we often get both together…. This impossibly endearing and clever novel sets off a depth charge of emotion and meaning.
Kirkus Reviews