“[Lamb] knows just how to let the details of a tragedy unfold without decoration or commentary. He’s a master at the kind of direct, unadorned narrative that brings these events alive in all their visceral power. . . . This portrayal of a couple dealing with the asymmetrical effects of trauma is Lamb at his best, wholly sympathetic, deeply moving.” — Ron Charles, Washington Post Book World
“Lamb’s narrative . . . quickly pulls the reader into the lives of its characters. . . . Lamb casts a wide net and hauls back themes both grand and personal. . . . Lamb is exceptional in his exploration of the direct and indirect impacts of survivor guilt.” — Robin Vidimos, Denver Post
“The Hour I First Believed is a moving, sprawling story that seesaws between hope and despair.” — Boston Globe
“Lamb . . . has delivered a tour de force, his best yet.” — Entertainment Weekly
“An embracing, troubling book that spans the Civil War to the present, filled with those other Lamb trademarks—a deep understanding of loss, tempered by compassion, big-heartedness, and that most necessary quality, humor.” — Susan Larson, New Orleans Times-Picayune
“A page-turner. . . . Lamb remains a storyteller at the top of his game.” — Craig Wilson, USA Today
“Profound and moving. . . . The beauty of The Hour I First Believed, a soaring novel as amazingly graceful as the classic hymn that provides the title, is that Lamb never loses sight of the spark of human resilience. . . . Lamb’s wonderful novel offers us the promise and power of hope.” — Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
“Too compelling to put down . . . a richly textured story . . . moving, funny, and completely unpredictable.” — Gail Pennington, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Every character is rendered with vivid, utterly convincing depth. . . . A heck of a page-turner.” — Dallas Morning News
“Lamb does an extraordinary job narrating some of the most terrifying tragedies of the past 10 years. . . . This is an epic journey that ponders the inexplicable nature of tragedy and its terrible repercussions. Through the chaos, Lamb reveals a quiet thread of hope. Grade: A.” — Ashley Simpson Shires, Rocky Mountain News
“It’s part picaresque, part Russian novel, part mystery…ambitious...Caelum is an unusual, provocative character, neither a hero nor an antihero but a regular guy experiencing both the tragic and the absurd. His tone is by turns funny, irritating, depressive and sentimental—which is to say, recognizably human.” — Louisa Thomas, New York Times Book Review
“Lamb, a maestro of orchestrating emotion . . . knows how to make his fans’ hearts sing.” — Corrie Pikul, Elle
“Wally Lamb is a remarkable talent.” — Columbus Dispatch
“Lamb has crafted another affecting, engrossing tome about complicated, interesting characters.” — Cherie Parker, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A soaring novel as amazingly graceful as the classic hymn that provides the title” — Miami Herald
“Wally Lamb is a remarkable talent... In his latest novel, he nimbly weaves real events, especially the Columbine school shootings, with the fictional story of Caelum Quirk.” — Alan Johnson, Columbus Dispatch
“Every character is rendered with vivid, utterly convincing depth...The Hour I First Believed is, at heart, a study of character and society and how they mold one another, but under Mr. Lamb’s incandescent stewardship, it’s also a thriller and a heck of a page-turner.” — Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News
“What a comfort to get lost in Lamb’s characters.... [Lamb’s] pacing is superb: Sections of the story expand to accommodate a mix of characters, yet scenes don’t linger overlong.” — Janet Okoben, Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Lamb does an extraordinary job narrating some of the most terrifying tragedies of the past 10 years....an epic journey. Grade: A.” — Rocky Mountain News
“When you put Lamb’s newest novel down, it will be reluctantly. It’s that good...Lamb is a writer to be envied...he gives birth to characters so unforgettable they become part of his readers’ psyche.” — Knoxville News-Sentinel
“Weaving the various storylines into something beautiful and rewarding took great skill—something Wally Lamb has in spades.” — Santa Cruz Sentinel
“A rich and sprawling story.” — Anne Stephenson, Arizona Republic
“This epic novel (700-plus pages) is a profound meditation on how, against all odds, lives derailed by chaos are filled with hope once again.” — Hallmark Magazine
“The Hour I First Believed is a nuanced, multi-level and omni-dimensional story…It’s a wonderful, honest book.” — The Day