In the Unlikely Event

A major event . . . utterly brilliant . . . Never mind what she has done before: it feels as if this is the book she has been waiting her whole life to write. And it is, quite simply, extraordinary . . . There's a wonderful Mad Men feel to the detail of the period . . . The action is always undercut with Blume's trademark humanity and humour . . . Blume's fans - old and new - will approve * Observer *
In The Unlikely Event is Judy Blume's first book for adults in more than 15 years and before the end of the first chapter you'll be breathing a happy sigh that the wait is over . . . Judy Blume is fantastic at assembling a cast of characters so clearly drawn that you'd recognise them in the street and so real that you care deeply about each of them after only a few lines . . . For those of us who grew up alongside Blume's beloved teenage characters, this book is a welcome homecoming * Sunday Express *
A great portrait of an era . . . Blume's hallmark warmth and humanity shine through and there is a loveliness to this novel in its depths of philanthropy and human understanding. It leaves the reader longing to meet the author for a soul-lifting heart-to-heart. The fairy godmother is alive and well * Guardian *
A thoroughly beguiling story of love, loss and carrying on regardless . . . period-perfect detail . . . irresistible * Mail on Sunday *
Offers readers the classic Blume experience - a nuanced portrayal of the everyday intricacies of love and friendship but set against a backdrop of extraordinary tragedy . . . In the Unlikely Event is comfort reading at its most soothing, the turn of its pages like sitting down with a beloved, long-lost friend * Independent *
Long-term Blume fans will be instantly at home in the company of the novel's plucky heroine, Miri . . . She has her eye on people, and her work resonates because she uses clean, accessible prose to sketch characters who are convincingly conflicted . . . She continues to hold out a warm, fallible hand to help us face the music and dance * Daily Telegraph *
Judy Blume isn't just revered, she's revolutionary . . . Blume, whose fiction for adults has the same emotional immediacy as her books for children, makes us feel the pure shock and wonder of living * New York Times *
Reading In the Unlikely Event in adulthood is like reconnecting with a long-lost friend . . . The novel rivals Tolstoy or Ferrante in its number of characters, families, and . . . emotionally resonant and down-to-earth at once . . . In the Unlikely Event confronts the fact that as we grow up, the unexpected - tragedies, accidents, death, mysteries - becomes another kind of ordinary. You've been learning that on your own all these years; now, reading this, having Judy Blume guide you through it once again is deeply reassuring * The New Yorker *
In The Unlikely Event gives us everything Blume is known (and beloved) for - the fierce, fraught nature of young relationships, the comfort and confines of cultural identity, the messiness and joys of the body - and takes it to a new level. This novel - Blume's fourth for adults - is her most ambitious to date, and she lives up to its reach with her characteristic frankness, compassion and charm * San Francisco Chronicle *
Blume succeeds in capturing the condition of an entire community . . . No one captures coming-of-age milestones and stomach butterflies like Blume . . . When the story is over, it's Miri's voice - her wise observations, her surprisingly adult perspectives, and her humour - that you miss * Boston Globe *
Blume's ability to tell a compelling story and create memorable characters of all ages is as strong as ever . . . her old fans won't be disappointed by this quietly sensational story. -- Anna Carey, Books to Pack This Summer * Irish Times *
In the Unlikely Event, about a fifteen-year-old's first forays into letters and love, has [Blume's] signature warm, personal touch. -- Megan O'Grady, The Best Beach Reads Summer 2015 * Vogue *
Everything we love about Judy Blume's young adult novels is found in her latest book for grown-ups in spades: a large cast of memorable characters, the ability to perfectly capture into words the feelings of youth (and beyond), and the vivid capturing of time and place. -- Lynsey Eidell, The Hottest Beach Reads This Summer * Glamour *
[Blume] delivers a story as candid and heart-wrenching as her influential YA books . . . Both Blume's lifers and newcomers will appreciate In the Unlikely Event, which respects tragedy without neglecting lightheartedness in that special way only Judy Blume knows how to do. -- Caroline Goldstein, 13 of June's 2015's Best Books That Are The Perfect Summer Escape * Bustle *