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If I Told You Once

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1999 novel by Judy Budnitz
If I Told You Once
AuthorJudy Budnitz
LanguageEnglish
GenreMagical realism
PublisherPicador
Publication dateNovember 1, 1999
Publication placeUSA
Pages304
ISBN0-312-20285-7

If I Told You Once is a novel by American author Judy Budnitz, published in 1999 by Picador. Budintz's first novel, the book won the 2000 Edward Lewis Wallant Award was shortlisted for the 2000 Women's Prize for Fiction.

Summary

The novel initially follows Ilana, a girl fleeing an unnamed Eastern European country and traveling to New York City. The narrative later becomes interwoven with the story of three other generations of Ilana's family - her daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter.

Reception

If I Told You Once received mixed reviews. Publishers Weekly praised Budnitz's "hypnotic prose" and "haunting quality". Kirkus Reviews described the novel as a "kind of Jewish Rashomon, delivered with humor and heart.

Newsday was critical of the novel's narrative structure, questioning the need for multiple generations of narrators.

Awards

In 2000, the novel won the Edward Lewis Wallant Award and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2000.

References

  1. "Publishers Weekly". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  2. "If I Told You Once". kirkusreviews.com. October 1, 1999. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  3. Murphy, Bernadette (November 11, 1999). "Book Review". Newsday (Nassau Edition). Nassau. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  4. "Edward Lewis Wallant Award". hartford.edu. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  5. "If I Told You Once". womensprizeforfiction.co.uk. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
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