Noah's Ark

Barbara Trapido was much praised for her sparkling Brother of the More Famous Jack. This one is even better … contains a good deal of subtlety and even tragedy beneath its hilarious surface * FINANCIAL TIMES *
I adore her books -- CAROL SHIELDS
An achingly funny novel ... wickedly observed -- LIBBY PURVES
There is no mistaking Trapido's narrative talent: racy, vibrant and witty * GUARDIAN *
Reading it is rather like being bombarded with sequins * OBSERVER *
Barbara Trapido’s writing is so sparklingly clear and witty that it can be a shock to realise how strong an undertow runs beneath the surface -- HELEN DUNMORE
A family tapestry rich in good humour, sensuality and comical human imperfection. Each character’s story moves back and forth in time, shimmering with life * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *
The plot’s interplay of flashbacks and digressions, which prompt bright dialogue and dark complications, recalls Matisse’s line and palette. Some sentences can be relished in isolation, like fine brushwork * NEW YORKER *
Full of wisecracks, efficiency, carnal delights, and love of children … warm and comic * THE TIMES *
Excellent – funny, sexy, glowing. An easy read, but in Trapido’s case easy reading is the product of hard writing …. An unobtrusively artful book. There is something Nabakovian in [her] determination to enchant … Trapido casts a faery light over the materials of everyday life * TIME OUT *
Splendid … Trapido’s wit can swiftly wound, but does not alienate the reader’s delight … She carries along the tale with great descriptive gusto * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *
A rare delight … This novel is written with a scintillating intelligence, expressed in exquisite phrasing and beautifully shaped sentences that finish on a perfect note * SYDNEY MORNING HERALD *