REVIEWS

"Panning's new collection radiates infectious optimism...Her enchanting Norahs and Alices, Tobys and Theos drag you effortlessly into their very American lives..."

•The New York Times Book Review. October 28, 2007.

Family dynamics in all their messy complexity set a wealth of material before the gimlet eye of Anne Panning...Panning writes with intelligence and humor, as well as a grasp of craft...

•The Boston Globe. November 4, 2007.

"Panning accomplishes a rare feat by creating a perfectly structured collection, nary a bad or lesser story in the bunch. With a matter-of-fact quirkiness reminiscent of Lorrie Moore, Panning's style is touched with a graceful yet hard-edged flair...Brisk, and wry, Panning's work is shaped by carefully winnowed clarity about American life, with humor tapped seamlessly into place."

•Booklist. September 2007.

"Ordinary people find their efforts to heal their wounds complicated by relationships, emotional conflicts and unusual twists of fate in this affecting collection...The warmth and originality of these pieces demonstrate Panning to be an astute and empathetic observer."
•Publisher's Weekly. October 2007.

"The stories in Anne Panning's collection...take the American Dream and examine every zit and pockmark on its dirty face...this collection is brutal in its honest depiction of people and their complicated relationships...the skewed perspectives of Panning's narrators are as much engaging as they are disturbing..."

•Mid-American Review. Fall 2007.

"This edgy collection is a wonder. You'll fall in love with Panning's characters—and be maddened by their heartlessness..."
•Book Sense Pick . December 2007. Archie Kutz, Liftbridge Bookshop. Brockport, NY.

"If you like vicarious travel, Super America delivers....Panning has not only given us entertaining stories, but constructed a collection that could be part of a time capsule. This book depicts American culture, warts and all, in the beginning of the 21st century."
•Peace Corps Writers. October 2007.

"Anne Panning describes the human condition with more insight than most...what make these stories stand apart is Panning's clean, beautiful writing, her humor and importantly, her palpable empathy."
•Spinster Librarian. December 2007

Review of Butter in Minneapolis Star Tribune

Mention of Butter in Chicago Tribune