Modern Lovers

Critics Review

• ** ‘It’s the beautifully drawn, vibrant characters that make this smart, compelling novel so irresistible.’ Liane Moriarty **

  From the New York Times Bestselling author of The Vacationers, Emma Straub brings us a sharply observed tale of modern love…

  Twenty years later and they were supposed to be grown-ups…

  Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.
  Summer in the city . . .

  College friends Elizabeth, Zoe and Andrew had a band, grew up, settled in New York and now they were still living round the corner from one another (and in each other’s pockets).

  One hot summer as their kids come of age, making those first hesitant steps into adulthood, it’s the parents who find that the lives they’ve so carelessly stitched together begin to slowly unravel . . .

  from publisher's description

• Hugely talented… intelligent holiday reading

  Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4

• Smart and entertaining

  Stylist

• Hugely talented . . . if you are looking for some intelligent holiday reading then this is the book for you

  BBC 4 Woman's Hour

• Straub writes with such verve and sympathetic understanding of her characters … Reading this novel has all the pleasures of reading one of Anne Tyler’s compelling family portraits

  The New York Times

• [Modern Lovers] has the smart, cool sensibility of Straub’s other novels, and you’re sure to love this one just as much

  Elle

• A funny and insightful look at love and relationships

  Good Housekeeping

• A lovely, satisfying early-summer read

  EW.com

• Straub’s novel might be set in well-trod modern literary territory (the parenting world of brownstone Brooklyn), but what she does with this familiar milieu is smart and fresh, offering new insights into the lives of people all around us

  Brooklyn Magazine

• Thoughtful and hilarious, Modern Lovers proves growing up doesn’t stop in adulthood

  Real Simple

• [Straub] sets her observational wit on three middle-aged friends (former college bandmates) who find themselves in a crisis of identity as their now-grown children head off to college themselves

  Huffington Post

• What happens when you age out of your cool? It’s a topic that filmmaker Noah Baumbach has explored, and Straub is his literary counterpart. . . With the multigenerational structure, it would be easy to compare Straub to other masters of the genre like Meg Wolitzer or Jennifer Egan, but she’s already a master in her own right after The Vacationers, so Modern Lovers should prove to be a witty romp

  The Millions

• Wise and often hilarious, Modern Lovers is a testament to how the passions and secrets of our youth can last well into adulthood

  Buzzfeed

• [Straub is] a precise and observant writer whose supple prose carries the story along without a snag. Straub’s characters are a quirky and interesting bunch. . . it’s a pleasure spending time with them

  Kirkus (starred review)

• Straub spins her lighthearted but psychologically perceptive narrative with a sure touch as she captures the vibes of midlife, middle-class angst and the raging hormones of youth. . . Readers will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel

  Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• Devilishly observed

  Booklist (starred review)

• Sprinkled with humour and insight, this is a Brooklyn novel with heart

  Library Journal (starred review)

• Emma Straub is consistently excellent

  Book Riot

• Emma Straub is quickly making a name for herself as an author who can deftly toe the line between literary and popular writing-her books are easy to breeze through, but there’s also food for thought for the discerning reader

  Bookpage

• Praise for The Vacationers

  -

• Now this is what I call good holiday reading. Straub writes beautifully and amusingly . . . hard to beat for sheer charm and gentle wit

  Daily Mail

• Emma Straub puts the fun back in dysfunction

  San Francisco Chronicle

• There’s nothing more addictive than a darkly funny dysfunctional domestic drama. Straub’s novel-set during a fraught family vacation in Mallorca-is pretty much the perfect beach read

  Entertainment Weekly

• Charming and absorbing, this is a novel that demands to be read in long, satisfying gulps

  Seating Arrangements

• Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise

  Bark

• A gorgeous and witty storyteller

  Eat, Pray Love

• Witty and big-hearted . . . leaves you smiling for days

  Where'd You Go, Bernadette

• For those unable to jet off to a Spanish island this summer, reading The Vacationers may be the next-best thing. . . . [A] gorgeously written novel . . . When I turned the last page, I felt as I often do when a vacation is over: grateful for the trip and mourning its end

  The New York Times Book Review

• Delicious . . . richly riveting . . . The Vacationers offers all the delights of a fluffy, read-it-with-sunglasses-on-the-beach read, made substantial by the exceptional wit, insight, intelligence and talents of its author

  People (four stars)

• I loved The Vacationers; funny and poignant and beautifully observed

  Me Before You

• Straub’s novel is cast from the same mould as the likes of Liza Klaussmann’s Tigers in Red Weather and Maggie Shipstead’s Seating Arrangements . . . The Vacationers is a holiday read in every way with a gently witty narrative that slips down as easily as a beachside cocktail

  Independent

• Emma Straub is a gorgeous and witty storyteller

  Elizabeth Gilbert

• Intimate, epic, beautifully observed

  Jennifer Egan

• Witty and big-hearted … leaves you smiling for days

  Maria Semple

• Charming and absorbing

  Maggie Shipstead

• Funny, poignant and beautifully observed

  Jojo Moyes

• Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise

  Lorrie Moore