Shakespeare's Kitchen

"[A] charming novel disguised as a book of short stories. . . . In Segal's world, a world where domestic tragedies occur against the backdrop of historic human cruelty, people tend to behave badly not out of a perverted sense of ambition or power but from a deep need for attachment and belonging. . . . Lore Segal is an astute and gentle observer."
-The New York Times Book Review

"As the stories unspool and intertwine, one realizes that only in the hands of a master do a few vaguely defined characters and themes create such an exquisite tapestry. . . . The cumulative power of Shakespeare’s Kitchen lies in Segal’s dazzling ability to merge the mundane details of life—a missing pencil sharpener, a tipped-over garbage can—with the arc of human emotions."
—The Washington Post

"Shakespeare’s Kitchen is a delicate and droll examination of a topic you don't often encounter in American fiction: intimate friendship between consenting adults. . . . Segal is an enchanting storyteller."
—Los Angeles Times

"Filled with all the pomp and depressed glory of a modern-day Great Gatsby. . . . These vignettes are hilarious and telling. Segal exhibits a rare insight into the human character that is at once humbling and shamelessly enjoyable to behold."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)