JUNE 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Aoife McMahon is terrific delivering Naoise Dolan’s impressive debut novel. Twenty-two-year-old Ava moves from Dublin to Hong Kong to teach English. There she meets Julian, an odd, self-involved banker. They start an unconventional relationship. She moves in. Julian picks up the tab. Eventually, they sleep together. They have great discussions. There are no emotional ties. McMahon makes Ava a believable millennial, politically aware and socially conscious, complete with melodic Irish accent. She is spot-on with Julian’s indifferent affect, yet she makes him appealing. After Ava meets Edith, a coolly elegant lawyer and Hong Kong native, McMahon delivers a tender/prickly love story. Dolan poses contemporary questions and sets up credible scenarios by using honest, simple language and snarky humor. McMahon’s performance is bright, sassy, and delightful. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Xuan Juliana Wang
…a wry and bracing tale of class and privilege…Ava is hyper-verbal and exacting, and Dolan's writing excels when Ava turns her analytical eye on the intersections between English syntax, zeitgeist technology and interpersonal relationships…Ava's written correspondences—social media posts and emails she labors over, analyzes, doesn't send or sends by accident—become increasingly vulnerable in their disclosures as the book moves along. They form a digital counterbalance to Ava's aloof and guarded in-person presence, and through this duality Dolan captures perfectly the nauseating insecurity of growing up today.
From the Publisher
"Jealousy and obsession, love and late capitalism, sex and the internet all come whirling together in a wry and bracing tale of class and privilege.” — New York Times Book Review
"Half Sally Rooney love triangle, half glitzy Crazy Rich Asians high living—and guaranteed to please." — Vogue
"Edna O’Brien. Tana French. Sally Rooney. Enter fellow Irishwoman Dolan, whose knowing, superbly observed debut novel marks the young author as a major force. This sardonic rom-com chronicles the escapades of 22-year-old Ava, a desultory millennial teaching abroad inHong Kong, where she meets Julian, an aloof British banker, and Edith, a wealthy Chinese lawyer. What ensues is an enchantingly neurotic love triangle in a time of economic and existential tumult." — O, the Oprah Magazine
“In fewer than 250 pages, [Dolan] has captured the touchstone millennial tension between sardonicism and sincerity — the electric ambivalence of figuring out how to be a person in these times. . . . Dolan has buttoned-up elocution, taut phrasing and sharp angles. . . . Exciting Times is a funny novel (both haha and weird), resisting the pull of melodrama in favor of a sharp point of view and an intense concern with language. . . . [and] is indeed engaged with the ways class, inequality and politics manifest in social life.” — Los Angeles Times
“That dive into human consciousness . . . separates Dolan from the countrywoman to whom she is often compared, novelist Sally Rooney (“Normal People”). While both writers deal with class — offering cutting observations — Dolan pushes further to confront why we put up with it in the first place.” — Washington Post
"Dolan crafts sharp commentary on the intersection of longing, class and power." — Time
"Wry, stylish.... In this witty satire of the haves and have nots, Dolan explores tender, insightful truths about the vagaries of modern love." — Esquire
“Wonderfully intuitive and fluid…. An examination of sex, queerness, self-sabotage, power, and privilege." — The New Yorker
"A love triangle like you've never seen it before.... Wry and sardonic, Dolan relentlessly examines untold truths about love, classicism, and ambition." — Marie Claire
“A love story packed with irony and introspection.” — Elle
“Incisive and funny…. [Dolan’s] bold, sardonic narrative voice is original and, at times, irresistible…. This is a sharp-eyed novel that tackles serious ideas.… Dolan’s novel — wry and jaded, yet sometimes hopeful — understands this volatile era.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“The prevailing experience of [Dolan’s] endeavor is one of invigoration. “Exciting Times” is a work of phenomenal acuity and vehemence that, in the freshness of its apprehensions and the authority of its voice, is edifying, funny, tender, plangent and rich with the sensibility of an individual who, condemned to conditions that are not of her making, finds the space that she needs to take flight, and who proceeds as the person she was.” — Seattle Times
“Droll, shrewd and unafraid—a winning debut.” — Hilary Mantel
"A brisk, bracing read.... Wry and witty, Dolan pokes and prods at all those things that everyone can't help but obsess over: sex and money and, you know, sex and money." — Refinery 29
“Hands down one of the most anticipated debuts of the year ... A piercingly provocative look at modern love and power games.” — Book Riot
“Dolan has an ear for the mixture of insinuation, implication, silent scolding, deep concern and unbending love in the mother’s Irish voice. It’s flawless. As is Ava’s way of listening to Julian, her upper-class English boyfriend. Dolan analyzes how the English language and the Irish ear try to make sense of each other.” — Colm Tóibín, WSJ Magazine
"Expert prose.... Speaks from a specific stature of intellect and awareness, with an ambivalence towards engaging in the capitalist economy, while simultaneously longing to be of, and a part of, the world." — Literary Hub
“Volleying dialogue, rich interiority, and perceptive writing on money, politics, and class. . . A clever and deep novel of sex, connection, and the complexities of self expression.” — Booklist (starred review)
"Dolan’s preoccupation with power is often couched in humor but always expertly observed. Her elegantly simple writing allows her ideas and musings to shine. A refreshingly wry and insightful debut." — Kirkus Reviews
"[A] wry, tender debut.... Dolan’s smart, brisk debut works as a charming comedy of manners." — Publishers Weekly
“Fiercely intelligent, brutally funny and written with such heart, Exciting Times announces an impressive new voice in literature.” — Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall
“[Exciting Times] teems with insight around class, race, language and sexuality. Likely to fill the Sally-Rooney-shaped hole in many readers' lives.” — Irish Times
"A funny, smart, contemporary love story." — Sunday Times (London)
"Exciting Times is constant fun." — Telegraph (UK)
"Whipsmart… A modern love story… Exciting Times is an impressive, cerebral debut written with brio and humour… The observations are keen, heartfelt and delivered in a brutally nonchalant style… Heralding for sure a new star in Irish writing." — Irish Times
"Dazzling… With Exciting Times comes a rare and indeed exciting talent, a cacophony of our times, a treat for the socially distanced." — Irish Independent
"Very funny… Extremely sharp – both cutting and tart… A bracing, refreshing first novel." — Observer
"I wouldn’t be surprised if it emerges as the book of the summer … A rich, sharply witty story made out of the frictions and complexities of young love … Kept me rapt until the final page." — The Times (UK)
"A wonderfully sharp, comic writer, adept at making wisecracks in the caustic, knock-em-off, knock-em-down tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron … [Ava] is Bridget Jones’s sour sister, or Bridget Jones marinaded in vinegar … I found myself purring with pleasure. I loved Exciting Times’s snap and its bite … This is comic writing at the highest level." — Daily Mail (UK)
"Meet the new Sally Rooney... That might sound like hyperbole but this tale brings fresh and on-point insights into modern love that’ll make it a hit with lovers of Normal People." — Stylist (UK)
"A dazzling debut … Dolan’s writing is precise, acerbic and enviably good, and her characters are perfectly drawn." — Evening Standard (London)
"A fresh and funny debut about love and self-knowledge … affecting and powerful." — The Guardian
"What sets Dolan apart is her humour. EXCITING TIMES is riddled with snappy one liners and witty interplay. A fantastic first novel." — Metro
Time
"Dolan crafts sharp commentary on the intersection of longing, class and power."
|Los Angeles Times
In fewer than 250 pages, [Dolan] has captured the touchstone millennial tension between sardonicism and sincerity — the electric ambivalence of figuring out how to be a person in these times. . . . Dolan has buttoned-up elocution, taut phrasing and sharp angles. . . . Exciting Times is a funny novel (both haha and weird), resisting the pull of melodrama in favor of a sharp point of view and an intense concern with language. . . . [and] is indeed engaged with the ways class, inequality and politics manifest in social life.
The New Yorker
Wonderfully intuitive and fluid…. An examination of sex, queerness, self-sabotage, power, and privilege."
New York Times Book Review
"Jealousy and obsession, love and late capitalism, sex and the internet all come whirling together in a wry and bracing tale of class and privilege.
Washington Post
That dive into human consciousness . . . separates Dolan from the countrywoman to whom she is often compared, novelist Sally Rooney (“Normal People”). While both writers deal with class — offering cutting observations — Dolan pushes further to confront why we put up with it in the first place.
Elle
A love story packed with irony and introspection.
Vogue
"Half Sally Rooney love triangle, half glitzy Crazy Rich Asians high living—and guaranteed to please."
the Oprah Magazine O
"Edna O’Brien. Tana French. Sally Rooney. Enter fellow Irishwoman Dolan, whose knowing, superbly observed debut novel marks the young author as a major force. This sardonic rom-com chronicles the escapades of 22-year-old Ava, a desultory millennial teaching abroad inHong Kong, where she meets Julian, an aloof British banker, and Edith, a wealthy Chinese lawyer. What ensues is an enchantingly neurotic love triangle in a time of economic and existential tumult."
Marie Claire
"A love triangle like you've never seen it before.... Wry and sardonic, Dolan relentlessly examines untold truths about love, classicism, and ambition."
Esquire
"Wry, stylish.... In this witty satire of the haves and have nots, Dolan explores tender, insightful truths about the vagaries of modern love."
Los Angeles Times
In fewer than 250 pages, [Dolan] has captured the touchstone millennial tension between sardonicism and sincerity — the electric ambivalence of figuring out how to be a person in these times. . . . Dolan has buttoned-up elocution, taut phrasing and sharp angles. . . . Exciting Times is a funny novel (both haha and weird), resisting the pull of melodrama in favor of a sharp point of view and an intense concern with language. . . . [and] is indeed engaged with the ways class, inequality and politics manifest in social life.
The New Yorker
Wonderfully intuitive and fluid…. An examination of sex, queerness, self-sabotage, power, and privilege."
Washington Post
That dive into human consciousness . . . separates Dolan from the countrywoman to whom she is often compared, novelist Sally Rooney (“Normal People”). While both writers deal with class — offering cutting observations — Dolan pushes further to confront why we put up with it in the first place.
Time
"Dolan crafts sharp commentary on the intersection of longing, class and power."
Evening Standard (London)
"A dazzling debut … Dolan’s writing is precise, acerbic and enviably good, and her characters are perfectly drawn."
Nathan Filer
Fiercely intelligent, brutally funny and written with such heart, Exciting Times announces an impressive new voice in literature.
Colm Tóibín
Dolan has an ear for the mixture of insinuation, implication, silent scolding, deep concern and unbending love in the mother’s Irish voice. It’s flawless. As is Ava’s way of listening to Julian, her upper-class English boyfriend. Dolan analyzes how the English language and the Irish ear try to make sense of each other.”
Daily Mail (UK)
"A wonderfully sharp, comic writer, adept at making wisecracks in the caustic, knock-em-off, knock-em-down tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron … [Ava] is Bridget Jones’s sour sister, or Bridget Jones marinaded in vinegar … I found myself purring with pleasure. I loved Exciting Times’s snap and its bite … This is comic writing at the highest level."
Hilary Mantel
Droll, shrewd and unafraid—a winning debut.”
Book Riot
Hands down one of the most anticipated debuts of the year ... A piercingly provocative look at modern love and power games.
Irish Times
[Exciting Times] teems with insight around class, race, language and sexuality. Likely to fill the Sally-Rooney-shaped hole in many readers' lives.
Stylist (UK)
"Meet the new Sally Rooney... That might sound like hyperbole but this tale brings fresh and on-point insights into modern love that’ll make it a hit with lovers of Normal People."
Telegraph (UK)
"Exciting Times is constant fun."
Metro M D
"What sets Dolan apart is her humour. EXCITING TIMES is riddled with snappy one liners and witty interplay. A fantastic first novel."
The Times (UK)
"I wouldn’t be surprised if it emerges as the book of the summer … A rich, sharply witty story made out of the frictions and complexities of young love … Kept me rapt until the final page."
The Guardian
"A fresh and funny debut about love and self-knowledge … affecting and powerful."
Sunday Times (London)
"A funny, smart, contemporary love story."
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Incisive and funny…. [Dolan’s] bold, sardonic narrative voice is original and, at times, irresistible…. This is a sharp-eyed novel that tackles serious ideas.… Dolan’s novel — wry and jaded, yet sometimes hopeful — understands this volatile era.
Refinery 29
"A brisk, bracing read.... Wry and witty, Dolan pokes and prods at all those things that everyone can't help but obsess over: sex and money and, you know, sex and money."
Irish Independent
"Dazzling… With Exciting Times comes a rare and indeed exciting talent, a cacophony of our times, a treat for the socially distanced."
Seattle Times
The prevailing experience of [Dolan’s] endeavor is one of invigoration. “Exciting Times” is a work of phenomenal acuity and vehemence that, in the freshness of its apprehensions and the authority of its voice, is edifying, funny, tender, plangent and rich with the sensibility of an individual who, condemned to conditions that are not of her making, finds the space that she needs to take flight, and who proceeds as the person she was.
Observer
"Very funny… Extremely sharp – both cutting and tart… A bracing, refreshing first novel."
Booklist (starred review)
Volleying dialogue, rich interiority, and perceptive writing on money, politics, and class. . . A clever and deep novel of sex, connection, and the complexities of self expression.
Literary Hub
"Expert prose.... Speaks from a specific stature of intellect and awareness, with an ambivalence towards engaging in the capitalist economy, while simultaneously longing to be of, and a part of, the world."
Metro
"What sets Dolan apart is her humour. EXCITING TIMES is riddled with snappy one liners and witty interplay. A fantastic first novel."
