The Crane Wife

Reviews

Praise for The Crane Wife :
“In this exquisitely written retelling of a Japanese folktale, George Duncan has accepted his midlife loneliness. That is, until a wounded crane shows up in his yard, with a cry like ‘a mournful shatter of frozen midnight.’ Soon after a mysterious woman named Kumiko arrives at his print shop in London, the two of them not only fall in love but also create intricate artworks together, communicating through bits of cut paper, feather collages and even dreams. Is Kumiko indeed a human version of the beautiful crane—or not? The answer is irrelevant (though you won't be able to stop reading until you find out). Author Patrick Ness moves between the mundane and the magical, showing that, in life anything is possible—even marriage, given the right circumstances, between a volcano and a bird.” —Leigh Newman, Oprah.com

“Ness fashions his mosaic of prose, piecing narrative with snips of a myth-like fable to create a bittersweet story of loss and love. The narrative pace will keep the pages turning, while the imagery and metaphors wound throughout will stay with readers long after they close the book.”
—Library Journal

“When George and his daughter, with their seemingly ordinary quirks and heartbreaks, are befriended by an enigmatic woman, art, beauty, and myth become living forces in their lives. This poignant novel echoes with the longings and sorrows of the ages. But what came as a most delightful surprise is the humor and humanity that Patrick Ness brings to this story.”
—Eowyn Ivey, The New York Times bestselling author of The Snow Child

"Patrick Ness is on top form here . . . The Crane Wife is a tale full of bittersweet wonder with a very human soul. A treat."
—Matt Haig, author of The Radleys

“This is a novel that treads with feather-deft steps through ordinary lives touched by magic, then takes flight on wing beats of powerful storytelling.”—Ali Shaw, author of The Girl with Glass Feet

“What’s striking is the beauty and humanity of Ness’s writing.”
—Ben East, The Observer

"The Crane Wife is a special novel: a perfect fusion of surreal imagery and beautifully crafted internal logic."
—Helen Brown, The Telegraph

Enthralling and delightful . . . The dialogue is natural and inspired, and sparkles with latent tension.”
—Leyla Sanai, The Independent
 
“A fusion of mid-life crisis comedy and classic storytelling.”
—Kate Saunders, The Times
 
“Ness is a highly accomplished storyteller and the gravitational pull of the earthbound strand of his tale is strong enough to stop it from floating off into whimsy. He also has a rare ability to cut poignancy with humour. . . .the mood he creates is unsettling and potent.”
—Michael Prodger, Financial Times
 
“The story is lively and often quite funny.”
—Ursula Le Guin, The Guardian
 
“The Crane Wife is a magical and beautiful book – spellbinding from start to finish.”
—Herald on Sunday (New Zealand)
 
Praise for Patrick Ness:
"An insanely beautiful writer."
—John Green, TIME Magazine

"Ness is both accessible and sophisticated, handling big subjects in prose that is simple and heart-stopping."
—The Sunday Times, on the Chaos Walking trilogy

"Brave and beautiful, full of compassion."
—The Independent, on A Monster Calls Expand reviews