Praise for A Cowardly Woman No More
Publishers Weekly, "Best Books of 2023"
"This elegant and off-kilter upending of the office novel sings." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The book unspools, with grace, humor, and perceptive depth, over the course of a single ordinary, extraordinary day. It is, in part, an office novel, and Cooney nails the soul-dulling absurdity of certain working lives. And it is, in part, a much stranger and more magical thing. . . . Cooney's great skill as we press against the limits of the real is that we are with her in every moment; her language is unshowy, matter-of-fact, human, and she is also open-and opens us-to the inexplicable, the wild magic, the stuff we can't make sense of all the way." -Nina MacLaughin, The Boston Globe
"Cooney is remarkably adept at capturing minute inner crises within an individual and the imperfect but real connections between people. . . . A shining exploration of human frailty and endurance." -Kirkus
"The novel's memorable effects derive from Trisha's voice, attitude and values. . . . For Trisha, not being 'a cowardly woman' involves something more than specifying her displeasures. The engaging directness of her narrative-its spokenness, sharpness of vision and recall, and willingness to place an exclamation point at the end of a sentence when she amazes herself-comprises her bravery." -Ron Slate, On the Seawall
"A Cowardly Woman No More is a feminist novel, but it's more than a Me Too tale on gender equity and equality. It asks us to look closely at ourselves and wonder if we've let daily living take the joy out of life. . . . Trisha speaks from one woman's soul to another." -Lorraine Kleinwaks, Enchanted Prose
"A truly lovely read, funny at times, poignant, and an interesting portrait of a type of person I'm sure we all have met, or maybe actually are." -Davida Chazan, TCL Review
"I have been a fan of Ellen Cooney's for years, and she is in undeniably brilliant form once again here. Masterfully told, full of surprise, built from unforgettable sentences that sing, whisper, or shout, A Cowardly Woman No More is utterly compelling from its first fiery comet of a page to its last." -Laird Hunt
Selected praise for One Night Two Souls Went Walking
NPR, "Favorite Books of 2020"
Newsweek, "Must-Read Fall Books"
Kirkus, "Best Fiction of 2020"
Bustle, "Best Books of Fall 2020"
The Millions, "Most Anticipated: Fall 2020"
"Shimmering, remarkable. . . . A triumph of a novel, and one that arrives at the perfect time." -Michael Schaub, NPR
"Cooney's warm and hopeful novel is a salve for these times." -Juliana Rose Pignataro, Newsweek
"Wise and warm. . . . This is a quiet book, steady, gentle, present, one that grapples with the matter-of-fact here and now, and wades, with bravery and wonder, into the mysteries that make us human." -Nina MacLaughlin, The Boston Globe
"The perfect novel to combat pandemic angst. " -Kirkus, starred review
"Cooney's novel expands the concept of what's possible, imagining hope where there is none and pointing always toward the light." -Mari Carlson, BookPage, starred review
"Takes place over the course of a night shift at an urban medical center whose cavernous immensity-'steel and glass and stone, lights muted in the deep surround of the dark'-gives it the feel of a modern-day cathedral. . . . The word 'soul' is a frequent presence in this novel, a kind of familiar spirit." -Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal
"Now, more than ever, we need to be reminded that hope prevails-and this novel does exactly that." -Carolyn Quimby, The Millions
