Critical Praise

"In this sprawling chronicle of the Csillag family, celebrated Hungarian author Vámos depicts the lives of 12 generations of men, each a first-born son, and in the process offers a whimsical 400-year history of his native country... The book has many sublime moments, from meditations on the nature of time to a sly investigation of how words accumulate to form books."

—Publishers Weekly

"Family history entwines with Hungarian history; we witness the rise and fall of scholars, shopkeepers and intellectuals against a background of economic turmoil, political intrigue and the struggle for independence... Vámos should win a new American audience with his beautifully crafted novel of connection and continuity."

—Kirkus Reviews