As I lurched through all 600-plus pages I kept hoping any of the characters would at least have one good day! I got tired of the characters expressing themselves mostly in gasps, moans, cries, or hysterical laughter. They seemed always on the verge of complete breakdowns, even when situations didn't warrant that behavior. The story would have been more believable and the characters more real if at least some of them had less hysterical reactions to everything. There were too many characters in the book, and as one reviewer noted, most of them were not developed enough; the reader often was left dangling about their motivations, personalities, and especially their fates. I suppose the author was going for a "real life" feel in the book, but if that is real life, let me fall on my sword! This is a terrible book and I'm annoyed at the time wasted reading it.