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Reviews
THE GOODBYE COUSINS
Bantam, $14 paper (384p), June 2009
Maggie Leffler
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"In her sophomore effort, Leffler spins another heartfelt tale about the search for love and acceptance, focusing on minor characters from her debut, The Diagnosis of Love. Di, a young woman with a two-year-old son, was kidnapped as a child by her mother and taken to England. Now, she's returned to the U.S., hoping to finally impose normalcy on her life. After moving in with her cousin Alecia, who's engaged, Di begins working as a nanny for the troubled son of wealthy (and newly single) Augustus Catalano. While staying with the Catalanos, Di also meets their handsome gardener, Dave, and soon finds herself torn by her feelings for the two men. Meanwhile, Alecia's relationship begins to break under the strain of the upcoming wedding and the quotidian pressures of work, family and finances. Struggling with similar emotional scars, the two cousins' attempts to build new families and identities is grounded in loving, complicated relationships. The characters are endearing and the plot straightforward...making this an excellent summer read."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Smartly written and nimbly plotted, the novel illustrates author Maggie Leffler's grasp of family dynamics, along with a sharp sense of humor." [To read the rest of the article, click here]
--Rege Behe, Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"Leffler explores family ties that may stretch but never quite break. The reader is privy to all the triumphs and disappointments of the two main characters' engaging journey, and it's never neat. In fact, it can be quite messy at times, but that's what makes it seem genuine. Isn't that how life is?"
--The Romantic Times Book Reviews
"The sequel to THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE (Ben's sister Holly's tale) is a terrific straightforward relationship drama. The two cousins have problems with commitments as each struggle in their own way with the men in their lives. With a nod to Neil Simon (and Herbert Ross), fans will enjoy the aptly titled THE GOODBYE COUSINS."
--Harriet Klausner
"This is a wonderful story of family: crazy relatives you find you can't live without, stable relatives that go crazy, half-truths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings, and the delicate balance of trusting that your family will always be there, when maybe they won't. It's a story of thinking you know what you want when you discover that you want something entirely different. It's a story of hope. It's a story of fear. But mainly, yeah, it's a story of family." [To read the rest of the article, click here]
--Armchair Interviews
"You know me. I love funny. Sarcasm that engages and intrigues is an art form that I wish all other authors could grasp and deliver as well as Ms. Leffler has. Don't get me wrong, she's wrapped the humor and comedy into a wonderful story about love, pain, faith, and a need for a place in this world. But the delivery of the lines is absolutely fabulous and transcends the normal, plethora of books that are out there, begging readers to weep for their characters...The characters will keep you laughing. The story will most likely pull at your heart-strings, and yes, you'll shed a tear. But that, to me, is what good fiction and good faith is all about. It's fine to have a journey to discovery - but if you can laugh while doing it, the conclusion is always a victory. Bravo, Ms. Leffler!
I'll look forward to the next one." [For the complete review, click here.]
--Onceuponaromance.net
 THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE
Maggie Leffler
"I loved this book and loved its voice. How often is one both charmed and intrigued on page 1 and ever onward? (Less and less, I find.) Maggie Leffler's writing accomplishes that thing I enjoy the most: lively storytelling that is in equal parts wryly witty and touching."
--Elinor Lipman, author, MY LATEST GRIEVANCE
"A young doctor learns the true meaning of 'physician, heal thyself' in Leffler's inspiring debut. Dr. Holly Campbell and her twin, Ben, attend a psychic's TV show in the hopes of achieving some closure after their mother's death. Her mother-via the medium-tells them someone's moving to England and congratulates Ben on his engagement. After Ben confesses his recent engagement to Alecia, a TV journalist, Holly impulsively decides to leave her Pittsburgh residency and her new boyfriend, Dr. Matthew Hollembee, to be a 'travel doc' in Winchester, England. There she must deal with childhood abandonment issues stemming from her mother's affair with a medical student in Grenada as well as sort out her feelings for Matthew and a cute English orderly she meets. Life becomes even more problematic after a frustrated Alecia arrives, needing help with other family challenges. Eventually, Holly discovers love can be a choice. Leffler, a practicing physician, infuses Holly's spiritual search with liberal doses of humor, exquisite insight and rich details about the U.K. medical profession.
--Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"This novel celebrates the support system that family and friends can offer in difficult times. Leffler, a doctor beginning a career as a writer, writes with warmth and confidence about new beginnings."
--Aleksandra Kostovski, Booklist
"Maggie Leffler's is a fresh and welcome new voice. She's wise and funny, and THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE went straight to my heart."
--Hilma Wolitzer, Author of THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER
"In THE DIAGNOSIS OF LOVE, we take a highly entertaining, hilarious journey alongside a young physician, Holly Campbell, as she faces her fear of life, love, and her mother’s past. Unlike the polished, superhuman doctors on TV, Holly is utterly recognizable: full of insecurities and uncertainty; sometimes tempted to seek answers in the occult rather than in science. Physician-writer Maggie Leffler writes with an insider’s authority that makes us fall in love with Holly and her zany friends, so that when Holly stumbles across life’s less explainable mysteries, we’re totally rooting for her to blossom. A vividly written story that pulls you in from the first page and doesn’t let go until the end."
--Doris Iarovici, MD, Author of AMERICAN DREAMING AND OTHER STORIES
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