Turbulence

Praise

“Masterful. . . . Rivetingly beautiful. . . . There is undoubted brilliance in Turbulence: wonderful writing, a flawless period atmosphere . . . and finely drawn characters. . . . One of the most utterly convincing historical novels I’ve read in some time.”
—Kevin O’Kelly, Boston Globe

“An artfully well-orchestrated novel about the strange poetry of science.”
—The Sunday Times (London)

“Each flick of the page . . . suggests the tick of a countdown. The book surges toward its end with enough surprises to grip Foden’s readers—and remind them that a life’s highest points are never quite as forecast.”
—The New York Times Books Review
 
“Turbulence is a novel about redemption and overcoming one’s own horrific mistakes. . . . A novel of vivid telling and often wondrous images . . . that stays with you, and sinks in deeper than you’d imagine.”
—Dallas Morning News

“Characteristically ambitious. . . . Unique. . . . A sideways glance into one of the 20th century’s major historical events.”
—Time Out New York
 
“Gripping. . . . Splendidly tense. . . . Foden’s conspicuously thorough research, the lovely African flashbacks and the many meteorological references all come together dynamically. . . . Ryman is a moody, spellbinding figure, with mystical obsessions—not unlike the central character in John Fowles’ The Magus.”
—Los Angeles Times
 
“Foden’s most compelling and affecting novel since his debut, combining fascinating research with a high narrative tension. . . . In everything except its titular concern, Turbulence is a smooth and stable progression in an intriguing literary career.”
—The Guardian (London)
 
“Absorbing, elegant and thoughtful. . . . Turbulence shines.”
—Glen Weldon, Books We Like (NPR.org)
 
“Fascinating. . . . Foden offers some unforgettable scenes.”
—Richmond Times Dispatch
 
“Terrific. . . . A love story, a science send up, and an accurate rendition of how the Normandy landings succeeded. . . . The superior novelist who can warn us of an emotional tempest today and a hurricane of anxiety next week—all by way of describing turbulence in a more limited context—is one to heed.”
—The Buffalo News
 
“Foden is a subtle and careful observer.”
—Winston-Salem Journal
 
“Giles Foden handles his material with the cool brilliance one would expect from the author of The Last King Of Scotland. . . . The writing is so good that you don’t doubt for a moment that what has been described did happen.”
—The Observer (London)
 
“A page-turner that challenges the reader with ideas on every turn. . . . A gripping literary novel. . . . [Foden] has written another original and remarkable book.”
—Scotland on Sunday
 
“Foden is a formidable storyteller. . . . [In Turbulence,] it is the meticulous fusion of science and military history that dazzles, coming off like an exhilarating fusion of Richard Powers and John le Carré.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)