"The reader is treated to a kind of alchemy on the page when character, setting and song converge at all the right notes, generating an authentic humanity that is worth remembering and celebrating." -- New York Times "Jiles' sparse but lyrical writing is a joy to read. A beautifully written book and a worthy follow-up to News of the World." -- Associated Press "Imbued with the dust, grit, and grime of Galveston at the close of the Civil War, Simon the Fiddler immerses readers in the challenges of Reconstruction. Jiles brings her singular voice to the young couple's travails, her written word as lyrical and musical as Simon's bow raking over his strings. Loyal Jiles readers and fans of Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge will adore the author's latest masterpiece." -- Booklist (starred review) "Luminescent prose. Jiles' timeworn territory provides a cozy escape.
-- Los Angeles Times "Endearing . And when the final battle royal arrives in San Antonio, it's just the rousing ballad we want to hear." -- Washington Post "Jiles's limber tale satisfies with welcome splashes of comedy and romance." -- Publishers Weekly "Vividly evocative and steeped in American folkways: more great work from a master storyteller." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "In Simon the Fiddler we once again accompany a cast of intriguing characters on a suspenseful Texas-based quest just after the Civil War. A crackling-good adventure tale." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "[Jiles's] description of Simon and Doris traveling on separate journeys across the Texas landscape is superb, causing us to feel the elation and sense of possibility that rises in the hearts of man, woman and beast in setting out on the road." -- Wall Street Journal "Beautifully told with lyrical descriptions, the novel illuminates the everyday struggles of the era.
" -- Christian Science Monitor "Jiles makes Texas in the 1800s hot and palpable for her readers, edgy and lawless, but the story also sings with melody." -- Book Trib.