I felt no sympathy for Susan Burling Ward or her grandsonLyman. Lyman is a person who can not live his own life but has tolive his grandparents' life while critiquing the world he presently lives in and all who are of its generation. I hate Susan in this novel, Oliver paid for her huge mistake of not even paying the closest attention to her own daughter, who I might add is not old enough to take care of herself. Susan is a terrible mother and wife to her hopelessly devoted family, why did she breed? She is a socialite, a snob and an inconsiderate human being and I dont understand why Oliver would subject himself to her foolishness for forty years after what she did. Lyman is just a pathetic exuse for a human being! He is booksmart but dumb about the world around him I did not like this novel one bit.