Scenes from Provincial Life

“Many, this reviewer among them, would consider [Coetzee] the greatest living novelist in English.” — The New York Times Book Review

“It’s a mark of Mr. Coetzee’s power as a storyteller that he makes a compelling, indeed, racing, narrative out of these hidden wheels within wheels.” — The New York Times

“South Africa’s most brilliant novelist . . . challenges us to doubt our preconceived notions not only of love but of truth itself.” — The Seattle times

“Coetzee portrays his younger self as scrawny and pretentious, but even if this insistent humility is just another form of self-aggrandizement, the result is enthralling” — Entertainment Weekly (an A rating)

"A delight to read: It will make you angry, amused, scornful and sympathetic by turns.” — San Francisco Chronicle