Author of "The Kingdom of Childhood"
"THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD is a dark tale of sexual obsession gone awry. Coleman never flinches in revealing the disturbing secrets of the neighbors just down the street. A gripping tale."
-- Keith Donohue, author of "The Stolen Child" and "Angels of Destruction"
"This emotionally tense, increasingly chilling story of late-90s suburban frustration unwinds into tragedy... This is a scalding, engaging portrait of people at two very different stages of life, caught in a trap of their own making."
- Publishers Weekly
"From start to finish, THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD kept me riveted, a real feat in today's busy world. This is a book so engrossing I dare you to put it down without finishing it. Coleman is a gifted story-teller with the ability to breathe life into characters so real I felt bereft saying goodbye to them at the end. Watch out world: Rebecca Coleman is here to stay."
-- Elizabeth Flock, author of "Me & Emma"
"Wow, what a book! The story just spirals and I completely got caught up in the madness."
-- Carol Fitzgerald, Founder/President, Bookreporter.com
"The Kingdom of Childhood is a multi-colored canvas of today’s complicated realities... the meshing of the past with the present, good with bad, and righteousness with unrighteousness turned what could have been ‘just another novel’ into art. Her characters continued to reside in my head after I finished the read. The experience was stunning."
-- Ann Hite, author of "Ghost on Black Mountain"
THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD is the story of a boy and a woman: sixteen-year-old Zach Patterson, uprooted and struggling to reconcile his knowledge of his mother's extramarital affair, and Judy McFarland, a kindergarten teacher watching her family unravel before her eyes. Thrown together to organize a fundraiser for their failing private school and bonded by loneliness, they begin an affair that at first thrills, then corrupts, each of them. Judy sees in Zach the elements of a young man she loved when she was only a child. But what Zach does not realize is that-- for Judy-- their relationship is only the latest in a lifetime of disturbing secrets.
"Dark and fast-moving... a stark psychological drama."
-- Publishers Weekly
"A passionate affair with an underage student leads to the unravelling of a Waldorf schoolteacher whose life first seemed as simple and homely as a hand-knitted jersey. THE KINGDOM OF CHILDHOOD is both compellingly written and chillingly plausible. A superb read."
-- Jassy Mackenzie, author of "Random Violence"
"An enthralling read... recommended for fans of Jodi Picoult’s realistic, ethics-driven novels."
-- Library Journal, starred review
"A gutsy debut novel... nimbly exploring such hot-button issues as the abuse of power, betrayal of trust, and predatory nature of sexual obsession, it is poised to generate major book-group buzz."
--Booklist
"Coleman’s brilliant writing style and storytelling ability make this controversial subject compelling."
-- RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars
"There are powerful statements made in Rebecca Coleman’s stunning debut novel, and there seems to be no end to the many-layered ironies and metaphors in the writing... I strongly recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and literature."
-- BookReporter
"The real world can't be pushed aside forever, however, and when Judy's precarious fantasy begins to collapse, readers will anxiously anticipate who else she'll take down with her. An expertly paced story that infuses one of our most lurid tabloid memes with hints of Endless Love and Bonjour Tristesse."
--Ron Hogan, founder of Beatrice.com
"Coleman writes with a flair for capturing the underbelly of the human psyche and the all-consuming nature of desire."
--BookPage
"Intoxicating and surprising, Coleman has crafted a novel that is as astounding as it is unforgettable. This must-read will haunt the reader long after the story has leapt from the page."
-- Paige Crutcher, Examiner.com (Book of the Week)
Praise for The Kingdom of Childhood
United Kingdom
Czech
Slovak
United States
