Muse

Praise

“A bravura first novel. . . . Compelling. . . . Galassi propels his readers forward on a thought-provoking, often hilarious, bittersweet ride.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“Entertaining. . . . Muse is many things: a satire of New York’s social world, a portrait of publishing that is both love song and takedown, and an intriguing mystery.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A love letter to beautiful writing. . . . Galassi has a treasure trove of information which he supplies to readers in great, and gorgeous detail.” —The Huffington Post

“Excellent. . . . A terrific novel. . . . A loving document of a bygone era and a crackling good story.” —USA Today 

“A testament to the purity of the written word, and the turmoil that can be required to get it on paper.” —The New Yorker

“Keenly observed. . . . Incisive. . . . Muse—much like John Updike’s early Bech books—leaves insiders with a knowing portrait of the publishing world before the digital revolution, and gives outsiders a gently satirical look at the passions and follies of a vocation peopled by ‘fanatics of the cult of the printed word.’“ —The New York Times

“Make[s] poetry and publishing feel alive with complexity and drama and feeling. . . . How beautifully Galassi represents moments of literary triumph.” —Commonweal 
     
“Charming. . . . It is one of the pleasures of Muse to watch Galassi mix his fictional literati with the real ones.” —The New York Review of Books

“Packed with lively secrets and insider gossip from the world of literature.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A long-awaited, and worthwhile, event. Galassi’s main character is the heir to a prestigious publishing house who becomes the confidante of his favorite writer, a poet whose personal life is as famed as her writing.” —Vanity Fair

“Beguiling . . . Galassi imbues his offbeat tale with emotional intensity and a lingering resonance.” —Miami Herald

“An enjoyably incestuous tangle of life and art. . . . Preserve[s] the quirks and charms of a colorful era in literary culture.” —The Boston Globe

“Accomplished. . . . Affecting. . . . Muse adds still another gold star to Galassi’s literary report card.” —The New York Journal of Books

“A fictional send-up of New York’s publishing industry, by one of its real-life members. . . . While industry insiders will likely recognize the thinly veiled references to key players in publishing, outsiders will giggle at Galassi’s accounts of aggressive agents, arrogant authors and barbaric book fairs.” —New York Post

“A witty, elegant, tons-of-fun debut novel. Jonathan Galassi has got all the dirt on the publishing industry and he is ready to dish. But he also takes us from Union Square and a hideaway country cottage to Venice, for a love story all his own.” —Gary Shteyngart