"Whimsically packaged exminations of Lust by Simon Blackburn, Gluttony by Francine Prsoe, Envy by Joseph Epstein, Anger by Robert Thurman, Greed by Phyllis Tickle, Sloth by Wendy Wasserstein and Pride by Michael Eric Dyson become playgrounds for cultural reflection by authors and playwrights in Oxford's Seven Deadly Sins series."--Publishers Weekly (on the series)
"Diverting, high-toned amusement."--Publishers Weekly
"Epstein wields a nimble pen in this consideration of the 'most pervasive' mortal sin.... Though experiencing envy may be 'no fun at all, ' under Epstein's guidance, this sin is pretty entertaining to contemplate in all its fine permutations.... Strangely comforting in its reassurance that the reader is not alone in being a petty SOB."--Kirkus Reviews
"Joseph Epstein has earned his reputation as one of our most respected men of letters through his mastery of the essay.... With Envy, we are back in familiar Epstein territory.... Delightful...entertaining and provocative."--Chicago Sun-Times
"Eternally fascinating to saint, sinner and everyone occupying the vast expanse between those two poles...penetrating and perspicacious.... Epstein's tone is as attractive as his judgment and analysis are sound."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Will win new readers for one of the most entertaining of contemporary writers.... Epstein cites an impressive range of authorities, from Aristotle to Gore Vidal ('Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies, ' Vidal once wrote). Yet the real vim of the book comes from Esptein's honest search for envy close to home."--National Post
"A stimulating tour of the killjoy sin of envy."--Books and Culture
"Epsteinexplores this vice with candor and clarity...Though this book is compact and can easily be read in one sitting, it feels exhaustive. It delves into tortuous malebolge--resentment, schadenfreude, envy of youth, anti-Semitism, Marxism and so on--and examines how they are rooted in or fueled by envy.... The book's virtue lies less in explaining the vice than in warning of its danger. The reader who expects a smug, winking skepticism will be disappointed. Yes, Epstein has fun. (Each chapter comes with a New Yorker cartoon, but these wither in the heat of the author's wit. ) He is, nonetheless, deadly serious about a sin that 'tends to diminish all in whom it takes possession.' Epstein's writing is a rare alloy of sobriety, sophistication, and warm humor that--quite contrary to the spirit of his book--I wish I possessed."--National Review
"Epstein is a witty and thoughtful elucidator of this covert and poisonous state of mind."--Booklist
"Eptein deftly untangles jeolousy from envy, Othello from Iago, and Nietzsche from Schopenhauer while decoding an impressive universe of things enviable and revisiting the seeds of resentment that gave rise to anti-Semitism."--Elle