At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews said: "Hamilton is at her best here; the soaring but firmly anchored imagery, the slant and music of everyday speech, the rich and engaging characters and warm, tough, wary family relationships, the pervasive awareness of both threat and support connected with the mountain -- all mesh beautifully in theme and structure to create a sense of organic belonging." Author and activist Nikki Giovanni wrote in The New York Times, M. C. Higgins, the Great' is not an adorable book, not a lived-happily-ever-after kind of story.
Kirkus Reviews found Hamilton's work to be at its best, praising her imagery, language, characters, and family relationships. Nikki Giovanni in The New York Times stated that M.C. Higgins, the Great is not a typical happy ending story but rather a realistic depiction of life.