"The work of a great storyteller" - Washington Post

"A novel planned on the grandest possible scale...One of those occasions when a writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent, seriousness, and passion of which he was capable...It is an entirely interesting and impressive book" - New York Herald Tribune

"When the book club ended a year ago, I said I would bring it back when I found the book that was moving...and this is a great one. I read it for myself for the first time and then I had some friends read it. And we think it might be the best novel we've ever read!" - Oprah Winfrey

"A strange and original work of art" - New York Times Book Review

"A moving, crying pageant with wilderness strengths" - Carl Sandburg