Reviews

• “I swore, was horrified, smiled wryly, understood, felt, cried over the sorrows and stupidity, saw the joy and warmth. The love. /…/ Thank you, to every author who makes an effort to tell good stories. Good, as in important.”

• “Oh, what an utterly wonderful and gripping gem! A page-turner with a plot that hits you right in the heart. Go get your tissues and get reading! /…/ With The Last Piece of Art Sofia Lundberg once again shows what an outstanding writer she is. The prose sparkles, the joy of storytelling permeates the novel, and the strong plot has it all! Joy, sorrow, betrayals, loss, friendship, sibling love, violence, and drama, just like life. The milieu depictions are painterly and descriptive, the characterizations so credible and living that even though it is fiction, I still feel as if the people and story is biographical. /…/ [Lundberg] has an astonishing ability to craft moving and unforgettable stories about people’s destinies, and how one’s childhood shapes and affects it. This time she has outdone herself. I warmly recommend you: Read, and let yourself be moved by this fantastic novel.”

• “The Last Piece of Art is a gripping and urgent story of love, family ties, and the vulnerability of children. There are scenes as black as night in the novel, and tough issues are brought to the fore, and yet it is an incredibly easy read and page-turner.”

• “Best! /…/ [Sofia Lundberg] just gets better and better. The prose weaves seamlessly through the story; reading the details of Lundberg’s works feels like being enveloped in cotton. She paints sensitive portraits of characters that the reader will empathize with, and lets them heal as much as is possible. It gives hope, and leaves the reader with a sense of warmth.”

• “A striking look back at [the protagonist’s] life, and the power of art and love. /…/ Full of unwavering life.”

• “Wonderful and well-portrayed page-turner about children, blood ties, and love.”

• “An emotional novel that whisks away the reader to the Swedish countryside. /…/ Beautifully depicted and deeply present. /…/ Sofia Lundberg paints details in such a way that you feel as if you’re there, and you have a hard time putting the book down. Despite the social realism you can tell that this is a novel in which the author plays on the reader’s entire register of emotions; we are transported from romantic summer gardens filled with cordial and children’s laughter, to drug addiction and homelessness in a matter of seconds. Not too abruptly, just enough for me to read with bated breath.”

• “Lovely and divinely beautifully told story of the vulnerability of children. /…/ We are given a painful glimpse of reality. Sad and heartrending. I’d like to emphasize the lucidity of the prose despite the heavy contents. Moving, important, and stuff that make’s one think.”

• “Sofia Lundberg seems to be an expert at writing thought-provoking [novels], lucid and deep all at once. She proves it once again in her new novel, The Last Piece of Art.”

• “Sofia Lundberg always writes powerful and moving novels that chronicle fascinating fates, most often with women at the center. The Last Piece of Art is no exception. /…/ Even [Lundberg’s] unadorned prose is evocative. It is in the small details that the great revelations are made. A stray word here and there sheds an entirely new light on the situation. The darkness of the story is contrasted by the warmth and light that envelops the reader. /…/ The Last Piece of Art is doubtlessly one of this year’s best books so far, and Sofia Lundberg has cemented her place as one of my absolute favorite authors!”

• “Another wonderful new book that I’ve just read […] is The Last Piece of Art by Sofia Lundberg. It’s deep, smart, and puts the focus on the age-old question of the abandoned child – much as Valérie Perrin does.”

• “The author writes with a finesse and poetry that grabs the reader from the first page. Her ability to tell a story that’s both deep and lucid makes for a reading experience that will linger with the reader long after the pages have run out.”

• “A fantastic novel with wide and deep content, touching in every way. /…/ Captivating, with characterizations that feel alive. /…/ A superb novel to discuss in book circles.”