Reviews

Reviews

Compulsively readable and ferociously insightful . . . He Gets That from Me cuts to the core of what it means to be family. An unforgettable book of our times.

What people are saying about Trouble the Water:

With compelling characters, a charming peek into Charleston society, a heart-racing romance, rich historical detail, and an epilogue that will have you holding your breath, Friedland has written a well-crafted novel that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

What people are saying about That’s Not a Thing:

In That’s Not a Thing, Friedland has created a delightful and generous novel about the type of love that never leaves us and the people we hope to become in the aftermath.

I've been a huge fan of Jacqueline Friedland's writing since I devoured He Gets That From Me a few years ago, but Counting Backwards is her best novel yet. In this dual narrative story Friedland fearlessly explores issues of incarceration and eugenics, of infertility and the legacy we inherit from our ancestors. This is a riveting, compelling story - but it's also an important one, reminding us that history's darkest aspects can echo forward into our present day and that there is so much work left to do in the fight for freedom and equality.

COUNTING BACKWARDS hits all the “R’s: Redemption, Responsibility, Resilience, Relevance, and absolutely Riveting. . . Friedland gifts readers with richly developed characters in a dual-timeline tale that explores fertility, inequality, and reproductive rights – both past and present with an eye toward the future . . .Counting Backwards is more than a powerful read, ultimately it teaches us ALL how to move forward

Like Perkins-Valdez’s Take My Hand, Friedland’s novel exposes a shocking–and even more recent–betrayal of women by government institutions . . . featuring a refreshing twist, [it] is unputdownable, not to mention incredibly resonant in these uncertain times.

A dual-timeline novel inspired by real events, Counting Backwards examines the ways women's bodies have been used against them in American society both past and present. With well-developed, complex characters, the story truly comes to life as both Carrie and Jessa try to navigate the hands they've been dealt. As secrets and connections are revealed, layer by surprising layer, Friedland explores both responsibility and redemption with heft and grace.

Counting Backwards is a tightly-woven dual-timeline novel that explores the way in which the sins of a family member can reverberate for generations and how society’s mistreatment of women hasn’t changed in decades. Jacqueline Friedland’s ripped-from-the-headlines story is an Erin Brockovich for our times.

Timely, perceptive, and inspiring, Counting Backwards is truly a book for this moment. By masterfully combining legal history with some of our most pressing present day issues, Jackie Friedland delivers a tour de force about family, female independence, and choosing to embrace what really matters. Only an absolute pro like Friedland could write a book this smart and this pertinent that still makes readers cry at the end.

In this powerful story of hope, dedication, and perseverance, Jackie Friedland takes an unflinching look at the devastating era of American history prior to the Civil War. This is a novel that you won’t want to miss