All These Wonders

Reviewing the collection for The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani said most of the stories, all initially told on the radio, "have translated seamlessly to the page [and] possess a remarkable emotional depth and sincerity. The stories vary greatly in tone and voice — by turns, raw, wry, rueful, comic, elliptical and confiding — but there is little sarcasm or snark. The emphasis is on communicating with the audience, with sharing an experience, a memory, a moment of grace."^[3] In the Toronto Star, Sarah Murdoch said, "Each makes the transition from stage to page without a stumble. A delight."^[4] In Paste Magazine, Jason Rhode's review was mixed, saying, "I give three-quarters of All These Wonders my highest praise, and the remaining quarter a curt dismissal." He particularly noted stories by Ishmael Beah and Kate Braestrup, and those centered on "ordinary people who have been through miraculous or terrible events. These are fragments of beauty." He also praised stories from "academics and people with interesting jobs who have insightful thoughts on the world" and "entertainment professionals who are practiced masters of their craft," but criticized the remaining quarter as "facile, self-deprecating bundles of humblebrag."^[5]

• All These Wonders at Penguin Random House