Critical Praise

“Assured and arresting...You cannot put it down.”
— ChicagoTribune

“If possible, please get THE HOUSE GIRL in hardcover. Why? It’s the kind of read that reminds you of why holding a good book in your hands is one of the great pleasures of life. On its surface, Tara Conklin’s exquisite debut is the story of two brilliant young women separated by time . . . Conklin takes us down a curious rabbit hole that drops us before a looking glass of uncomfortable truths about race, power, art, family, law and ethics . . . THE HOUSE GIRL is one of those books in which there’s not one, two or three, but about ten good parts you’ll want to read and reread to make sure that what you thought just happened, did.”
— Essence

It’s shelved under historical fiction, but THE HOUSE GIRL reads more like a historical whodunit, and a smart one at that . . . Both Josephine and Lina are intricately drawn characters — fierce, flawed and very real.”
— MinneapolisStar Tribune

“[G]rabs you by the bonnet strings and starts running.”
— Entertainment Weekly

“This will be the book-club book of the year.”
— Marie Claire

“Conklin ... is a skilled writer ... who knows how to craft a thoughtful page-turner ...We’re glued to the pages.”
— SeattleTimes

“A sorrowful, engrossing novel in which the pursuit of justice serves as a catalyst to a more personal pursuit for truth . . . Through Josephine and Lina’s journeys, THE HOUSE GIRL is also a meditation on motherhood, feminism, loss, and, ultimately, redemption.”
— PittsburghPost-Gazette

“Conklin’s research blends subtly into the background while successfully rendering a picture of the complex tensions inherent in 1850s society...A historical novel that succeeds in giving voice to the voiceless.”
— WinnipegFree Press

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