“A moving narrative of pioneer hardship and heroism...The background of the boundless Dakota prairie, with its mysterious distances and its capacity for evil, is painted with alternating beauty and grimness.” — The Atlantic
“A firmly woven tapestry of harsh texture wrought by a master sure in his choice of strong fiber and of color, telling with heroic gesture and intricate design its legend of simple people struggling in the eternal coil of unwitting life.” — Times Literary Supplement (London)
“That in Giants in the Earth this Norwegian American immigrant has made a distinct contribution to the literature of two countries there is no doubt. . . . It has a bare simplicity which is cumulative in effectiveness.” — New York Times
“The fullest, finest, and most powerful novel that has been written about pioneer life in America.” — The Nation