I read this novel in a modern contemporary literature class in college. The professor assigned the book without having read it first, and he apologized for this mistake later. The novel lacks any sort of higher meaning, therefore making it a mediocre plot story with one-dimensional characters. The conflicts are trivial and leave the reader to wonder, why bother? Don't be fooled by whatever award this book won. If you're a literature fan and value insight and meaning in a book, you'll be highly disappointed. Fiction? Yes. Literature? No. If you're interested in the themes explored by Brookner, you should read Jane Austen or the Brontes instead -- at least they add some amount of art to their work.