The Welsh Girl Paperback - 2008

“Beautifully conjures a place and its people, in an extraordinary time . . . a rare gem.”—Claire Messud

“A beautiful, ambitious novel that takes the reader into the most personal corner of war. It is emotionally resonant and perfectly rendered.”—Ann Patchett

"A memorable writer of sinewy intelligence and rare grace." -- David Mitchell

“An ambitious, layered meditation on what it means to be from a particular place . . . Ideas do more than gird the novel’s absorbing world; they animate it. Davies’s achievement is significant.” -- Jennifer Egan The New York Times Book Review

“If you loved The English Patient, there’s probably a place in your heart for The Welsh Girl . . .evocative.” USA Today

"Peter Ho Davies, whose short stories over the past decade have demonstrated his quicksilver brilliance with the material of ordinary lives, has at last taken the plunge and produced a novel. Sentence by sentence, character by character, scene by scene, it's one of the best of the winter so far." -- Alan Cheuse The Chicago Tribune

“Davies’s characters are marvelously nuanced.” The Los Angeles Times

“Davies appears to be able to inhabit anyone.” Newsday

“Resonates with an authenticity that had to be earned . . . The specifics of Esther’s world . .. grant the novel a moody authority reminiscent of another age.” --Gail Caldwell Boston Globe

" Davies employs an elegant, cinematic prose . . .This is a deeply felt, deeply imagined novel, and its characters remain a presence after the book is closed in the way that one walks off from an opera, still hearing the melodies." -- Stuart Dybek

"[A] beautifully written story of life and love on the outskirts of war. . . This first novel by Davies. . . has been anticipated - and with its wonderfully drawn characters, it has been worth the wait." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review

"In this skilled, beautifully empathic novel, the intersection of English troops, German POWs, and Welsh families with their flocks yields surprising insights into what it means to have a territory. Peter Ho Davies is a wonderful writer." -- Andrea Barrett