'As intriguing as the lives of these characters and their connections to each other are, though, what really makes Private Life a compelling read are Sagarra’s vivid details of this crumbling society and his keen observations about it. Sure, they’re not always pretty . . . any novelist who begins with scene where a man wakes up to the sight of a stuffed dog isn’t going to marvel about how beautiful life can be. Still, thanks to Mary Ann Newman and her sparkling translation, Sagarra’s masterpiece is finally available in English.'

'Reading Private Life is to wander through a messy film set, spying on the various characters: there are elements of cohesion. At times Sagarra appears to be too amused to exert any control, occasionally he seems to be sober and about to slow the pace. It is very readable, slightly chaotic yet seductively atmospheric . . . a reader may wish that Sagarra’s very long novel could have continued for, at the very least, another 200 pages of mischief.'