author of THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS
(forthcoming from Ballantine, Summer 2008)
and
LANGUAGE OF LIGHT
a novel set in the Maryland Horse Country
Reviews
"Maryland horse country--picturesque, genteel, moneyed--seems an odd setting for a novel concerned with issues like the Vietnam War, the impact of art on society, and a woman's struggle to balance career and motherhood. But Meg Waite Clayton, in her debut novel The Language of Light, foregrounds these themes even as her characters participate in the requisite foxhunts and charity balls, and even as they debate what to wear to afternoon tea." --Pablo Tanguay, The Nashville Scene
"The Language of Light shines on, a wonderfully knowing action
photograph that has emerged from the darkroom as words."
-James Bready, The Baltimore Sun
"On her Web site, Meg Waite
Clayton lists her favorite books, which include classics like PRIDE AND
PREJUDICE, MIDDLEMARCH and THE GREAT GATSBY, and modern literary fiction like
CHARMING BILLY, BEL CANTO and EMPIRE FALLS --- and after reading Clayton's debut
novel THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT, her reading list makes great sense. Like her
preferred authors and novels, Clayton has an old-fashioned sense of narrative
and symbolism that will delight readers searching for a story with meaning,
character and drama...At times I was reminded of Lily Briscoe's "Can't paint,
can't write" creative angst in Virginia Woolf's great TO THE LIGHTHOUSE."
-Bethanne Kelly Patrick,
bookreporter.com
"A comfortable read...Light and
shadows delineate the intimate contours of Ms. Clayton's first novel, and this
old-fashioned and leisurely exploration of ties that bind us all, for better or
worse, holds promise."
- Lin Rolens,
The Santa Barbara
News-Press
"... a very enjoyable read"
- girlfriendbooks.com, selecting
The Language Of Light as Book of the Week
"It’s hard to imagine a setting more isolated and insular than the communities of old money horse owners residing outside Baltimore. But novelist Meg Waite Clayton... superbly illuminates that world in ... The Language of Light ... Clayton’s book offers complex, intriguing, yet also appealing characters, while profiling a unique, almost frozen-in-time populace." - Ron Wynn, Nashville City Paper
"First-timer Clayton takes a decorous stroll down memory lane." -Kirkus Review
►Home
►About The Language of Light
▪ Critical Praise
▪ Read an Excerpt
▪ Reading Group Guide
▪ The Horse Country Setting
►Meg's Short Fiction and Nonfiction
Other
Praise
"An engaging and compassionate portrait of an artist learning to embrace the full potential of her power. Meg Waite Clayton writes with a photographer's precision, clarity and care."- A. Manette Ansay, author of Midnight Champagne and Limbo
"Meg Waite Clayton has written a novel destined to be called 'old-fashioned'--which these days means a traditionally well-plotted story peopled with nuanced, believable characters. The Language of Light has what readers want in a book--the believable kind of humor and pathos that makes for a terrific read."- Katharine Weber, author of The Music Lesson and The Little Women