A. L. Kennedy is one of the most consistently energetic and critically acclaimed novelists to have emerged from Scotland in the closing years of the twentieth century. Since the early 1990s she has pr...
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In the following review, Jamie commends Kennedy's compassion and tenderness in Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains but argues that the stories are too repetitive in theme and weighed down ...
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In the following excerpt, Craig presents a favorable assessment of Kennedy's subtle and effective prose in Original Bliss, commenting that it “is regrettable that Kennedy will probably b...
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In the following review, Waugh observes that several of the short stories in Original Bliss are strangely disjointed and forgettable but maintains that the title story is extremely emotional and maste...
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In the following review, Mundy notes the boldness of the content and prose in Everything You Need but argues that the novel's dreariness weighs down the story's plot.
Nathan Staples i...
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In the following review, Grant asserts that Kennedy discusses a variety of important topics in Everything You Need but stresses that Kennedy needs to further develop plot tangents and write in one cle...
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In the following review, Wall offers a positive assessment of Kennedy's “richly understated and beautifully plotted” narrative in Original Bliss.
Original Bliss, a strange and ...
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In the following excerpt, Lannon characterizes Kennedy's depiction of the sport of bullfighting in On Bullfighting as respectful and illuminating.
A. L. Kennedy attended several bullfights i...
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In the following review, Fox provides information on the history of bullfighting and offers a critique of On Bullfighting, arguing that Kennedy's recollections of her personal and emotional tur...
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In the following essay, Dunnigan traces the recurring themes of sexuality, abusive relationships, and the quest for love in Looking for the Possible Dance, So I Am Glad, Original Bliss, and Everything...
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In the following excerpt, Lumsden examines how Kennedy explores issues of both gender and Scottish national identity in her short fiction.
In a recent introduction to the Macallan/Scotland on Sunda...
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In the following review, Smith praises Kennedy's critical examination of life, death, and bravado in On Bullfighting.
The modest title of this book is misleading. A L Kennedy certainly write...
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In the following review, Cooke praises Kennedy's nontraditional prose style in Looking for the Possible Dance, commenting that the work stands out as a first novel due to “the quality of...
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In the following review, Petro compliments both the main storyline and the peripheral stories of the supporting characters in Everything You Need.
As its title suggests, Everything You Need strives...
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In the following review, Charles commends the adept symmetry of delicacy and harshness in Everything You Need.
How quietly, how quickly A. L. Kennedy has taken a place in the pantheon of contempora...
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In the following interview, Kennedy discusses her writing career, her love of the theatre, the meaninglessness of literary prizes, and the perils of the writing profession.
The taxi driver says tha...
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In the following review, McDermid contends that Kennedy's masterful narrative abilities in Everything You Need allow readers to overlook the novel's lapses of plausibility and uncertain ...
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In the following review, Knapp criticizes the improbable plot elements and Kennedy's overuse of profanity in Everything You Need.
Nathan Staples is a successful novelist who lives on a coast...
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In the following review, Freeman enthusiastically praises Kennedy's descriptive and precise language in the short stories in Indelible Acts.
It is, in all honesty, something of a relief to s...
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In the following review, the critic compliments Kennedy on her well-drawn characterizations in Indelible Acts.
The complications of loving and the pains of estrangement are explored with restrained...
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In the following review, Greenlaw compliments Kennedy for her non-linear storytelling skills and her decision to leave the conclusion ambiguous in Looking for the Possible Dance.
The first novel by...
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In the following excerpt, Loose comments that the ultra-violent and bizarre death of Colin in Looking for the Possible Dance is a jarring departure from the rest of the volume's understated pro...
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In the following review, Milne lauds Kennedy's continued expertise at crafting confident short fiction but criticizes the more experimental stories in Now That You're Back.
The young ...
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In the following review, Ashworth maintains that Kennedy illuminates common human experiences in Now That You're Back through her introspective and deft characterizations.
Like the telepathi...
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In the following review, Clark contends that So I Am Glad further illustrates Kennedy's imaginative and inventive writing style.
Jennifer Wilson is a woman in her mid-thirties, living in Sco...
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In the following review, Smith comments that, despite her initial trepidation about reviewing a “second novel,” So I Am Glad successfully balances wry social commentary with a well devel...
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In the following review, Birch explores recurring thematic motifs in Kennedy's writing and offers a positive assessment of the optimistic and hopeful ending of So I Am Glad.
One of the most ...
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A(lison) L(ouise) Kennedy
Critical Review by Kathleen Jamie
