This book is extraordinary -- ANN PATCHETT
I am in awe of Maggie Smith's memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, for what she is willing to show us. Yes, the writing is keen and gorgeous, and yes, she tells us a hundred truths in every chapter, but most of all she allows us to witness a self crumbling, scattering and renewing . . . [A] generous, beautiful book -- KATHERINE MAY
Outstanding . . . As a chronicle of a divorce and a meditation on parenthood, it's unflinching, insightful and exquisitely written * * Observer * *
This is a memoir of a woman who recommits to herself after heartbreak, but it's also a meditation on patriarchal power dynamics, a mother's love for her children and what that means in today's world and how to bet on yourself, even and especially when we're told not to. A balm for the soul and a rallying cry for the heart * * Good Housekeeping * *
A composite of creativity, motherhood and determination * * New York Times * *
Rich in nuance and unrelenting in its honesty, Smith's memoir is a bittersweet study in both grief and joy * * TIME * *
[A] meditation on what it means to be a modern woman, this is as beautiful and lyrical as they come * * Red * *
Reminds you that you can [ . . . ] survive deep loss, sink into life's deep beauty, and constantly, constantly make yourself new -- GLENNON DOYLE
A poet's memoir . . . [Smith] has an uncanny ability to boil down giant ideas into tiny, dense sentences that are both playful and heartbreaking * * SHONDALAND * *
Smith turns to prose to chronicle the end of her marriage and the hard, beautiful work of loving and valuing herself * * PEOPLE * *
