“This wonderful, wonder-full book is a fable and phantasmagoria of the sources of our century.”–The New York Times Book Review
“The novel is told as a fable, with prose both lush and dreamlike. The characters are intentionally rather shadowy, while the period details- of building construction, interior design, dress styles, street scenes–have a sensuality so palpable you can practically chew on them.”–The Wall Street Journal
“A Chronicle of obsession, self-indulgence, and, in a curious way, moral growth, expertly poised between realistic narrative and allegorical fable…. A fascinating and provocative portrayal of turn-of-the-century America that hums with energy and wit.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Literature’s romance with building-as-metaphor earns new energy through Millhauser’s latest novel…which quietly chronicles the life of an entrepreneur whose career peaks when he builds a fabulous hotel…. Taking its place alongside other fine tales of architectural symbology, from Poe to Ayn Rand, this enticing novel becomes at once a tale of life, a marriage and a creative imagination in crisis.” —Publishers Weekly
