The Other Side of the Bridge

A beautiful read, on every level * Independent on Sunday *
Like the great 19th-century novelists of provincial life, Mary Lawson is fluent in the desperate intensity of the small, individual dramas of respectable people - and she paints an eloquent picture * Sunday Telegraph *
Evokes beautifully the big joys and sorrows of most people, no matter how small their town * The Times *
Discreetly powerful * Daily Telegraph *
This is a fine book - an enthralling read, both straightforward and wonderfully intricate * Guardian *
A subtly-wrought affair of complex relationships, hard times and shocking events * Independent *
Eloquent, thoughtful book...not only has Lawson fulfilled the promise of her first novel, she has surpassed it in a layered, complex story about emotional power shifts. Storytelling, not showmanship, dictates the honest, serious art of Mary Lawson * Irish Times *
Lawson's measured prose is good at communicating the warp and weft of communal life... Lawson's quiet artistry has many virtues * Sunday Times *
Beautifully observed with characters who are all realistically flawed * Scotland on Sunday *
Lawson's gifts are enormous, especially her ability to write a literary work in a popular style. Her dialogue has perfect pitch, yet I've never read anyone better at articulating silence. Best of all, Lawson creates the most quotable images in Canadian literature * Toronto Star *