Woman in Bronze
“Bravo, Sileika, for capturing this struggle for artistic integrity in a compelling and highly readable novel.”—Edmonton Journal“At turns magical, funny, sad and powerful, it explores the unexpected results of artistic ambition and envy.”—Quill & Quire(starred review)“The novel, written in a deceptively easy prose, is superbly told, and Sileika is a keen dramatist.”—The Globe and Mail“Fuses rich storytelling with a palate of mixed historical and fictional characters that results in a book dripping in both its sights and sounds as well as the intricacies between the character’s relationships. Antanas Sileika carves a superb tale of one man’s drive through continuous obstacles of heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs, taking the reader along for the memorable ride.”—Calgary Herald“A jazz-ageLa Bohèmewith a plot featuring the usual operatic subjects: illicit passions, jealous rages, tumultuous crowd scenes, tormented artists, dramatic reversals of fortune and lots of dead bodies. The lights, the promise, the debauchery and the virile young talent so essential to Paris in the ’20s are all on display…. Its evocation of a bygone era, the story’s tragic sweep, and the kind of high romanticism that sees the hero turn away from his moment of triumph — have a grandiosity and pathos any verismo composer would love.”—The Vancouver Sun"What makes one artist rise to the top and not another? Antanas Sileika has written a tender, clear-eyed fable about the unknown artist in each of us."—Susan SwanPraise forBuying on Time:“A moving and entertaining collection. . . . Sileika handles the stories with a deft touch.”—Quill & Quire“The book welds humour, tragedy and personal embarrassments in a colourful and memorable way.”—The Globe and Mail“I can’t imagine what sort of disagreeable person would not enjoy this collection. The stories are funny, discerning, sharply observed and unobtrusively well-written.”—The Gazette(Montreal)Praise forDinner at the End of the World:“A thought-provoking first novel, unflinchingly funny, complex and delightfully unconventional.”—Diane Schoemperlen,The Globe and Mail“The stories in this novel are wonderfully written, superbly told, full of passion and pathos and moral purpose.”—Wayne Grady,Toronto Star