Florence Gordon

"Always a pleasure to read for his well-drawn characters, quiet insight and dialogue that crackles with wit, Morton here raises his own bar in all three areas." -- Kirkus, starred review

"Morton's characters are sharply drawn, vivid in temperament and behavior, and his prose smartly reveals Florence's strength and dignity." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Morton's intelligent, layered portrait of a feisty, independent older woman is an absolute joy to read, not only for its delightful wit but also for its dignified appraisal of aging and living life on one's own terms." --Booklist, starred review

"Morton (Starting Out in the Evening) has created an obstreperous, rebellious character who is likable for being true to herself." --Library Journal

"Combining a rigorous intellect and a deep humanity, this is the story of a feminist hero, a family coming together and apart, and the ways we interpret the past and attempt to face the future. Most of all, Florence Gordon shows how passion -- of one type or the other -- shapes a heart." --Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones

"Perceptive isn't a strong enough word to describe Brian Morton's insight into family dynamics; psychic is more like it. From the nuances of a long marriage to the inevitable, infinitely sad divisions and tender connections between grandparents and parents and children, Morton nails it all. And somehow he still manages to be funny, even as he breaks your heart."--Emily Gould, author of Friendship

"Florence Gordon is a marvelous creation. Like many great characters in English literature, she is a sacred monster, fully realized and richly present in the pages of this thoroughly enjoyable book."--Vivian Gornick, author of Fierce Attachments and Approaching Eye Level

"A marvelously wise, compassionate, funny, rueful and altogether winning novel. Brian Morton knows inside-out this tribe of witty, thoughtful people who, for all their decent values and good intentions, can't seem to narrow the unbridgeable distance between men and women, young and old, pride and compromise, solitariness and community. Florence Gordon is his most generously ample, humane and vital book."--Phillip Lopate, author of To Show and To Tell and Against Joie de Vivre

"Florence Gordon is one of contemporary literature's most wondrous characters: flawed and brilliant, funny and serious, totally unforgettable."--Darin Strauss, author of Chang and Eng and Half a Life

"Florence Gordon belongs on the very short list of wonderful novels about older women. Florence, the brilliant, cranky, solitude-craving feminist writer, is an indelible character, and her New York--the fading city of books and writers and melancholy oddballs --lives on in these immensely pleasurable pages."--Katha Pollit, author of Learning to Drive: and Other Life Stories