Truth According to Us (Barrows)

Book Reviews
[As] delightfully eccentric as Guernsey yet refreshingly different.... It’s an epic but intimate family novel with richly imagined characters, an intriguing plot and the social sensibilities you would expect of a story set in the South.... If Guernsey is a tribute to the power of books, The Truth According to Us is a testament to the toxicity of secrets.... Just as we did in Guernsey, we empathize with the characters as if they’re our neighbors.... Macedonia is a great place to spend some time this summer. The temperatures are soaring, but it’s nothing compared to the heat generated by this sizzling story.
Washington Post


Annie Barrows creates a worthy successor to Lee’s beloved Scout Finch.... The Truth According to Us has all the characteristics of a great summer read: A plot that makes you want to keep turning the pages; a setting that makes you feel like you’re inhabiting another time and place; and characters who become people you’re sad to leave behind—and thus who always stay with you. As Jottie tells Willa at the beginning of the book, the "Macedonian virtues" are ferocity and devotion. The Truth According to Us is the sort of book that inspires both.
Miami Herald


It takes a brave author to make the heroine of a new novel an observant and feisty girl . . . like Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.... But Barrows...has created a believable and touching character in Willa.
USA Today


[A] heartwarming coming-of-age novel [that] sparkles with folksy depictions of a tight-knit family and life in a small town.... In a novel full of richly drawn, memorable characters, bright, feisty Willa is the standout.... Add The Truth According to Us to the stack of repeat-worthy literary pleasures.
Seattle Times


A big, juicy family saga with warm humor and tragic twists, Truth is lively and engaging.... The story gets more and more absorbing as it moves briskly along.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch


A pleasant summer read.... There is much to recommend this book: The characters are engaging, the historical details appear thorough and accurate, and there are sufficient conflicts and plot twists to render a compelling story.
Roanoke Times


Some characters...fail to live up to their initial promise; some plot points are developed and then dropped abruptly. Nevertheless, Barrows does capture the interior life of her primary characters in this portrait of a town on the border between the past and present.
Publishers Weekly


Barrows follows up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society with a small-town story filled with big characters.... A warm family novel of love, history, truth, and hope that is a solid fit for fans of Lee Smith and Paula McLain.
Library Journal


Barrows has crafted a luminous coming-of-age tale that is sure to captivate her grown-up audience. Against a lively historical setting, the joys and hardships of the rollicking Romeyn family will keep readers eagerly turning pages.
BookPage


The ironic contrast between Macedonia's official and actual history is played to the hilt, [but] this unique corner of Americana...is re-created...vividly.... Undeniably entertaining but as slow-moving as a steamy Macedonian summer.
Kirkus Reviews