Critical Praise

“A REMARKABLE KINDNESS is a story about the bonds of friendship and family; how they are made, broken and come full circle. Diana Bletter writes with such lush and insightful prose that a foreign landscape and culture becomes warm and familiar; exploring the power of friendship, love and ancient traditions, the novel makes you wonder just how far you would go (literally and figuratively) for the people you love.”

—Amy Sue Nathan, author of THE GOOD NEIGHBOR and THE GLASS WIVES

“Bletter brings this quartet of complex, gutsy, smart, passionate women to life with rare delicacy and depth. She also offers a refreshingly nuanced, unsentimental view of Americans who have chosen to make their homes in Israel, going beyond the romance to the women’s very real ambivalence and homesickness, as well as the peril of living in a country too often under fire. Loss and endings are part of this novel’s rich fabric. Gracefully written scenes, as the women prepare a body for burial, make me wish we could all depart from life with such respect and tenderness.”

—Janice Steinberg, author of THE TIN HORSE

“In this tightly woven tale, where war and loss hover over four American women living in Israel, love blooms between friends and lovers, and Bletter’s reverent rendering of the Jewish burial rituals implores us to grab hold of life.”

—Michelle Brafman, author of WASHING THE DEAD