Clever and satisfying . . . Burton is an acute observer . . . A worthy sequel, mature and thoughtful Guardian
[Burton] has a way of drawing us into her world—she's particularly adept at navigating between different points of view—and of giving us Old Amsterdam in all its luxurious severity. And, as with the previous volume, Burton excels in the wrapping up. Nella, having pushed so hard to marry off her niece to an unloved suitor, finds . . . against all odds, an alternative family . . . no different in its essentials from any other.