The Chalk Artist

Praise

“The virtual world Goodman conjures is as feverishly vivid as it is mysterious and alluring. Not since I pushed my way through C. S. Lewis’s fusty mothballed wardrobe and stepped out into the frozen, pine-scented forests of Narnia can I remember being so effectively transported into a viscerally, sometimes terrifyingly plausible alternate universe. . . . This is a novel full of wit and spark. . . . Irresistible and arresting.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Enjoyably sharp dialogue and convincing portraits of multiple mindsets and terrains . . . One can’t help but marvel at how Goodman has captured the atmosphere of this virtual fantasy land so effectively in words.”—NPR

“Goodman’s latest combines fantastical flourishes (an imagined video game called ‘Underworld’) and realistic Cambridge details . . . in a narrative about art and ambition.”—The Boston Globe

“Mesmerizing depictions of virtual-reality landscapes of ‘Neverwhen’ and ‘Underworld’ make the games’ dangerous power over one of Nina’s students very real.”—People

“Allegra Goodman creates suspense where you might least expect to find it.”—The Atlantic

“In Goodman’s inventive and moving new novel, an interlocking set of characters raise provocative questions about art and relationships. . . . The Chalk Artist deftly contends with the commodification of art, the transformations being wrought by technology, and the ephemeral nature of human bonds.”—The National Book Review

“The story is so fluid, traveling through each character’s intensity with ease. Bits of their lives fall apart and come together just as quickly. . . . It hits close to home, reveling in isolation and the ways art can at once save you from it yet push you deeper in. Aidan, Diana, Nina, Collin—they live in all of us, pieces of them glimmering when we’re irrational from passion or desperate from loss. It’s an open, rough peer into our world, and it’s difficult to not turn the page.”—The Michigan Daily

“Can Emily Dickinson compete with World of Warcraft? That’s among the intriguing questions raised by Allegra Goodman in The Chalk Artist.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“All the characters in The Chalk Artist are questers. An inexperienced English teacher yearns to inspire her students, an artist learns to embrace his talent and a gaming addict finds an unexpected connection to the non-virtual world. This deft novel is filled with the exquisite pleasures one expects from Allegra Goodman, richly layered and emotionally resonant. I absolutely devoured it.”—Geraldine Brooks, author of March and People of the Book

“What begins as a sparkling love story of an idealistic young teacher, Nina, and artist Collin, who works only in chalk, becomes a stunning, rich exploration of whether love, art, literature, and nature can compete with breathtaking virtual worlds.”—Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand and The Summer Before the War

“Once again Allegra Goodman displays her extraordinary talent, range, and reach. Who else could write such a tender, soulful novel about love and speculative virtual realities?”—Lily King, author of Euphoria and Father of the Rain
 
“What do you do when ambition collides with love? Goodman answers this messy question with nuance in this heartfelt story about class.”—Booklist 
 
“Richly textured . . . Goodman probes the meaning and place of art in contemporary culture in her intricate and empathic novel.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Goodman’s eighth novel takes place in two skillfully evoked worlds that are at war for the hearts and minds of young people: video games versus education. . . . . A very relevant love story with strong crossover possibilities.”—Kirkus Reviews