Pre-publication words of praise for
The Year The Gypsies Came
"Every now and then (and it really isn't very often) a manuscript comes in that is so compellingly plotted, so luminously written, and so deeply enjoyable that the minute you finish you have to run round the building pressing copies on everyone you meet. For me, Linzi Glass' novel was that book. It's a book I can't forget, with characters and a story that just resonate long after I read the last page."
 

Penguin UK's Managing Director
"I was entranced by an outstanding debut novel from Linzi Glass ... It has enormous crossover potential and will appeal as much to adults as to teenagers. Both haunting and heartbreaking, it ought to come with a free handkerchief."
 
Angela Lockton,
The Golden Treasury Bookshop (UK)
"The Year The Gypsies Came stopped me in my tracks. Sorrowful, yet hopeful- at times I could hardly breathe. Well after I finished the book the layers from the story replayed in my mind. This compelling debut is a tribute to human resilience!"
 
Valerie Lewis
Owner, Hickbees Bookstore (San Jose, CA)
"I LOVED THE BOOK! It is on my list for our state award next year - Linzi is a wonderful writer just like you said! I can't wait to share it with my reading buddies."
 
Judy Sarosik
State Award Committee Member
Michigan Reading Association
"It is rare that you come across a book which evokes so deftly, and realistically, an only recently past time and location. Sixties South Africa, with its prevailing moods, undercurrents, attitudes and the precise minutiae of life for a teenager growing up there, is expertly drawn. Emily's journey all takes place at home but it is no less poignant and, ultimately, tragic."
 
John McLay, Literary Scout, UK
Dear Linzi,
 
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read your novel. I particularly enjoyed reading it because I could recognize the setting in the area where I spent my boyhood, even though you changed the names of places. I was fascinated by the way you wove Zulu folklore into the story, giving an enrichment of South African cultural content to a wonderfully told story which is not about culture. The pain of children trapped in dysfunctional family relationships is made tangible. And yet it is also an easy read.
 
My wife enjoyed the book too. We really are thankful for the opportunity to read it.
 
Alan G Moore
CONSUL
South African Consulate-General
Los Angeles
"I finished reading The Year The Gypsies Came when i got up yesterday morning and it was a powerful, perfect ending. i couldn't stop the flow of tears. i was so moved by the characters linzi created; i loved that relationship that emily had with buza. i love this book! i also spoke to stacy siegel and suggested it for her students. she wants to read it a.s.a. p. to consider it for a summer read. wouldn't that be great! i talked to elizabeth and her daughter lindsay about it (they lived in johannesburg) and i want our book club to read it. if i feel this much excitement for a friend of yours, i can only imagine how you must feel. bravo to linzi!"
 
Michelle Mckenzie
High school teacher at the Buckley School, a private school in Los Angeles.
Dear Kate,
 
Last night I finished reading THE YEAR THE GYPSIES CAME.
 
What an amazing and powerful and soulful book. So much is right about it.
 
I love the way that Ms. Glass shows each of her characters as fallible, imperfect and sympathetic in such a way that they all seem somehow "perfect." The language all by itself is worth the read, so rich and lyrical and so heartbreaking in its beauty.
 
I read a lot of books, but only once in a while am I touched to the very core.
 
Congratulations to you and Linzi Glass. I wish we each had our own Buza to remind us of the power of story.
 
Kathi Appelt, Author
To Henry Holt and Company Editor (Kate Farrell)