“Shimmering…The vivid intimacy of Delury’s canvas is enhanced by descriptive prose at once concise and lush.” —Jan Stuart, The New York Times
“A subtly crafted and richly rewarding debut book of fiction…This narrative structure — stand-alone stories woven around a central figure — is reminiscent of Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book of stories built around the title character. It is no stretch to mention Delury and Strout in the same sentence: Delury’s debut book, with wise observations, intriguing twists and indelibly drawn characters, is filled with reading pleasures.” —
“A grand estate in a village outside Paris is the central character in this entrancing debut novel that spans a century. Each chapter is a short story; the characters range from a lovesick American au pair in the 1990s to an iPhone-obsessed child to a Jewish couple hiding from the Nazis. The prose is sharp, and the stories are instantly engaging.” —Julie Klam, People Magazine
“Strikingly deft and nuanced; a writer to watch.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“With immense storytelling gifts and spare but luminous prose, she is one of the few writers whose debut will have readers begging for a second novel.” —Karen Ann Culotta, Bookpage
“Not just an extraordinary first novel, The Balcony is the accomplished work of a writer already at ease with a rich combination of language, character and consummate storytelling.” —BruceJacobs, Shelf Awareness
“In How Fiction Works, James Wood pinpoints “a technique that is essential to realist narration: the confusing of habitual detail with dynamic detail.” If Flaubert perfected it, as Wood maintains, then Delury has shrewdly exploited her inheritance. An assiduous writer builds a new enterprise on the interest from her predecessor’s investments.” —Ron Slate, On the Seawall
“This sweeping generational drama is perfect for readers looking for a modern take on the gothic novel.” —Emily Isackson, BookBrowse
“The Balcony is an extraordinarily mesmerizing and entertaining novel.” —The Washington Book Review
“This beautifully written novel can be enjoyed both for its literary merits and for the intriguing stories of its characters.” —Library Journal
“Without overdoing it, Delury imparts a fairy-tale feel to the forest surrounding the central buildings and the dark pond at their outskirts.” —Margaret Quamme, Booklist
“Delury has a gift for devastating understatement and delicate moments.” —Bret McCabe, Johns Hopkins Magazine
“The Balcony is ideal for readers who enjoy books such as Winesburg, Ohio and Olive Kitteridge, where instead of an overarching plot, setting becomes the connective tissue that binds all of the stories together.” —Bookish, Hottest Releases
“The Balcony is sweeping, suspenseful, rich with surprises and eerie atmosphere. Jane Delury arrives on the scene of her debut with a sensibility fully formed and a breathtaking array of writerly gifts at her command.” —Jennifer Egan
“With the assurance of a seasoned pro, Jane Delury spans decades, adopts a multitude of voices, and explores with the keen-eyed sensibility of Elena Ferrante or Claire Messud marriage, infidelity, motherhood, aging, money, greed, and the workings of fate. A complex and utterly engaging debut.” —Alice McDermott
“Jane Delury’s gifts as a writer of fiction are in such abundance here, it is difficult to know where to begin: her characters — each and every one — whether male or female, young or old, French or American, wealthy or just barely surviving, a child of the 20th century or one-hundred years earlier — are living, breathing human beings I came to love and, in some cases, to mourn. Her landscapes are rendered as deftly as an impressionist painter’s, and the pacing of each narrative in this exquisitely rendered novel-in-stories is downright masterly. But, what I admire most about The Balcony, is the depth and range of its inherent humanity. I adore this book. It is a true work of art and a most impressive literary debut.” —Andre Dubus III
“From the opening pages of The Balcony I was enthralled by Jane Delury’s picture of Benneville and by her expansive sense of character. In ways both profound and moving she shows on page after beautiful page how her characters live inextricably in a time and a place. A stellar debut.” —Margot Livesey
“The Balcony is a delightful literary page-turner in the best sense of the word. I loved these characters, and the way Jane Delury has woven them together is wonderfully surprising, heartbreaking, and elegant. In terms of “smart books about going abroad”, it’s up there with The Vacationers and Helen Walsh’s The Lemon Grove. I was sad when it ended—always a good sign.” —Katie Crouch
“Taken one at a time Jane Delury’s rich, complex, darkly intimate stories never fail to surprise and intrigue. The group is arranged in a fractal, fernlike pattern for which a term has yet to be coined—but it feels like a genuinely new kind of narrative structure, fit for the twenty-first century. Not a conventional novel and by no means a simple collection, The Balcony marks the debut of a major talent, and opens a door to a whole new way of storytelling.” —Madison Smartt Bell
“Centered around an enduring manor house in a French village and peppered with Tintin and chocolat, The Balcony feels profoundly universal. Inhabitants of Benneville may come and go, but their humanity remains steadfast through episodes that range from surprising to tragic. Jane Delury’s writing is always self-possessed and elegant, but I found myself moved to tears more than once.” —Anne Korkeakivi