“Dickensian…A brilliant new prism through which to view [Naipaul’s] life and work.”

“A bewitching piece of work by a mind at the peak of its abilities.”

“Memorably narrated by Simon Vance. Vance is the very expression of the voice we hear when we read Naipaul: measured, judicious, worldly-wise…Vance’s balanced, expertly paced delivery conveys as well the passion and conviction that underlie Naipaul’s marvelous prose.”

“Naipaul’s mastery of his material is absolute, and his seemingly effortless, beautifully wrought prose carries the reader to the heart of the mysteries of human destiny.”

“Explore[s] the sources and implications of his feelings of rootlessness, the realities of the colonial experience, the impact of cultural displacement, and our need to belong…A work from a fine and thoughtful storyteller.”

“Naipaul more than anybody else embodies what it means to be a writer.”

“It is Naipaul’s uncanny ability to…uncover the raw wood beneath the highly polished veneers, that places his writing among the best in the English-speaking world.”

“For more than fifty years, V. S. Naipaul has been an important voice with his keen, often painfully blunt insights into modern cultures and societies…He has traveled and observed, producing a wealth of fiction and nonfiction about modern life that is as thought-provoking as it is engaging.”