Blurbs

2009-10-01T09:39:00.003-04:00

"Exceptionally gifted. I was stunned by her work." Carolyn Forché

“An extraordinary writer, Cohen is an unusually gifted and intelligent person who has contributed greatly to our program (UNCW). She developed rapidly and distinguished herself as one of our best writers. Seasoning also seems brilliant to me, in the manner of Marilynne Robinson or Charles Frazier—that dense and deep and justifiably extravagant. It earned her our top thesis award for her genre.” Poet Michael White

“None who has passed through our critical and demanding program has ever so captivated us with the depth, quality, and consistency of work as she has. The entire faculty of writers, as well as her peers, is in awe of her unique talent and dedication. As someone whose lifework has been as a literary agent, an editor, and a publisher, for writers ranging from Jack Kerouac to Bharati Mukherjee, I am confident Cohen will achieve major publication and enjoy a long and fruitful writing career. Rarely does one find a writer so ready to spring forth.” Stanley Colbert

“I can say without qualification that she is one of the two or three strongest graduate students of my thirteen years of teaching on the graduate level. She wrote a publishable novel during my fiction workshop class. The novel was a complex and fascinating piece of fiction. Cohen has a feel for scene and action. It’s just a marvelous piece of work. All her work was of the quality I would expect from fellow faculty members, not from students.” Clyde Edgerton

“Everybody who reads her says she is a genius waiting to happen, or rather, happening, but so far read by a select few. Unbelievable, really, the level of talk her work has already generated, without being published. A quiet, building storm....” Rebecca Lee

THE SEASONING OF REBECCA

“This is a book of rare, beautiful genius. Its formality and intimacy work together so compellingly. Full of treasures, it is beautiful and private and strangely elegant.” Rebecca Lee, author of The City is a Rising Tide: A Novel

“Marvelous. I was very, very impressed. Cohen has extraordinary talent.” Clyde Edgerton (latest book - Solo: My Adventure in the Air)

"Cohen is a talented writer, no doubt about it. I love the original ways she uses familiar words, so that it seems as if she has reinvented them." Riverhead Books

"I really liked the texture and rich atmosphere of Cohen's writing. [A] gorgeous prose stylist." W. W. Norton

"Cohen possesses great skill, and her structure—as both commentary on the individuals and on their community—is really remarkable." Algonquin Books

"Extraordinarily well done. Cohen really has created a whole and believable world." Washington Square Press

"Wonderful writing and vivid settings." Little, Brown and Company

"A compelling epic, brilliant and careful. It drew me into another world, and Rebecca Pfaff is a terrifically admirable heroine who breaks free from social constructs. Cohen has also succeeded in creating a surprising plot line that does not succumb to easy answers." Alfred A. Knopf

"Certainly a work which is masterful in its scope and ambition. Cohen does a wonderful job of creating a vivid sense of time and place." Random House

"An intriguing read, engaging and dramatic. There are many things I admired about the book: the ambitious scope; the sense of time and place; and the assuredness of the character development. Very impressive." HarperCollins

"Cohen's book is skillfully and evocatively written. The harshness of Rebecca's world is brought tellingly to life and the characters are given vivid dimensions." William Morris

"Her writing is lovely and the story is beautifully told." Bloomsbury USA

"A deeply satisfying and impressive novel." Talk Miramax Books

"A beautiful novel." Ballantine Publishing Group

"A rich and magical book—with a dark elegance that reminded me of Faulkner and O'Connor." Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

"A really talented writer and a fine novel. I admire the book." Henry Holt and Company

"A very good read." Hyperion

"I certainly agree about the elegance of the language, and about the author's obvious talent. She does a lovely job constructing the almost dreamy narrative. This is a book that I admired deeply." G. P. Putnam

“An exquisite novel. I am very sincere when I say that I think it’s the finest project I have ever had sent my way.” Stella Connell, The Connell Agency

“In addition to containing an intriguing plot, the characters are a triumph.” William Clark, Wm Clark Associates

ALL THAT WAS GOOD

“A masterpiece.” Rebecca Lee

“Astounding.” Clyde Edgerton

“Immensely enjoyable—a well-written epic tale of the intriguingly dark Robert and a very strong candidate for film.” William Clark, Wm Clark Associates

"A magnificent accomplishment. The whole manuscript is remarkable. Cohen’s mind amazes me.” Joyce Pair, Founding Editor of The James Dickey Newsletter

“A very interesting and well-written novel.” Little, Brown & Co.

“The work has an epic feel to it, and I am impressed at how vividly Cohen conjures up 17th century Scotland. She also does a wonderful job of crafting a compelling and convincing character in Robert, with whom I became increasingly involved as the narrative progressed.” Random House

“Wonderful energy and atmosphere here. Cohen is a facile, colorful writer.” Morrow / Avon

“The writing is fabulous.” Crown McCabe

Thanks so very much for your kind words. Best, Claudette

Claudette Cohen - about

Blurbs