“Without ever resorting to easy nostalgia or cheap sentimentality, Mr. DeMarinis gives us both a picture of the eternal realities of childhood—the humiliations of playground gamesmanship, the cruelties of puppy love—and a tactile portrait of life in the wartime 1940s.” –The New York Times


“DeMarinis . . . has produced a masterpiece in this bittersweet coming-of-age story that re-defines the genre with the best of them.” –Publishers Weekly


“Rick DeMarinis is a major fabulist; he should be recognized in his true company, as the equal of Pynchon, DeLillo and Calvino.” –William Kittredge