How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky (Netzer) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Antically inventive, often outrageously funny…Netzer excels at comedy.... [B]ecause we know what will happen to [the characters], some of the suspense and momentum ebbs away. Ultimately, though, Netzer’s fans are likely to be quite entertained by this second charmingly weird novel of hers that grapples with big questions. Is love written in the stars? Where does inspiration come from? Who decides our fates?
Alena Graedon - New York Times Book Review


You’re pulled into the drama through the incredible natural beauty of her writing … deftly and wittily done … people say her style reminds them of Anne Tyler, but she reminded me a little bit more of Don DeLillo.
Liesl Schillinger - New York Times Book Review Podcast


Two star-crossed stargazers twinkle in Lydia Netzer’s spritely How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky.
Wall Street Journal


[A] winning second novel…two flawed souls whose love is as quarky as it is quirky…showing us the redemptive power of love as a truly cosmic force.
Boston Globe


With a title that reads like a line of verse, the novel’s mesmerizing cadence is little surprise. There is a deeper poetry to Netzer’s writing, as well. Netzer exposes the magic in the mundane, the enchantment of the earthbound. Her characters, like us, share space with the stars. Perhaps the most breathtaking revelation of Netzer’s novel is that the world is more dazzling on our side of the atmosphere.
Minneapolis Star Tribune


It’s a lovely summer valentine.
Entertainment Weekly


Netzer’s sophomore effort may be even stronger than her excellent debut. Readers will be unable to stop thinking about this book, stunning in its poignancy, long after the last page has been read. (Top pick-4.5 stars)
Romance Times


Netzer’s star burst into existence with Shine Shine Shine and flares even more brightly in How to Tell Toledo From the Night Sky. Watch her work for further illumination, and pity lesser writers who settle for the commonplace light of ordinary days.
Richmond Times Dispatch


Just the kind of touchingly offbeat stuff you could expect from the author of Shine Shine Shine, a big debut that was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist, and more.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) A diverting romp through two generations of well-intentioned friends and lovers...much-anticipated, fabulous second novel.
Booklist