[A] candid, affecting and beautifully written account of living with Alzheimer's * The Bookseller *
Julia Kelly finds beauty in words... A sad book about the loss of a mind and the conflicting layers of a relationship. We can only sigh in relief that such a talented writer was created in the process' -- Ruth Fitzmaurice, Irish Times
Heartbreaking... Yet somehow, at the same time, it is uplifting and life-affirming, and at times even funny... [Kelly] writes beautifully and with great humanity' * Irish Independent *
Kelly's talent is such that she is able to wring so much beauty, pathos and even humour from all this trauma... Matchstick Man challenges us to consider what a life is and, perhaps, to appreciate it all the more' * Dublin Sunday Independent *
Traces the bitter reality of Alzheimer's disease as few other pieces of writing have ever done * Nenagh Guardian *
This moving book traces the reality of Alzheimer's disease as few other pieces of writing have done * The Clare Champion *
Julia Kelly writes with confidence and with meticulous attention to the grind of daily life... She is impressively honest about her failings and his' * Sunday Times *
I admired Matchstick Man, Julia Kelly's unsparing account of coping with her husband's alzheimer's -- Madeleine Keane in the Literary Diary, Sunday Independent
Ragged and terrifying, but it also achieves a rare grace, as Kelly writes her way from resentment to compassion. It is a tribute to her craft that as the book ends we can only wonder at Charlie's fortitude, and hers * TLS. *
An unforgettable telling of a story that will be familiar to many thousands of people in the UK and Ireland * Spalding Guardian *
A tragic story, but [Kelly's] honest telling gives it an uplifting quality that leaves you cheerful rather than depressed at its end * Irish Examiner *
A searingly honest and moving tribute * County Down Spectator *
