This book, on our bookclub list, was a hard read for many of us. Most (all women) had problems trying to relate to or care for any of the characters. No one could understand why there was such an abbreviated story about the wife and her role when it seemed so important to the stated plot. The writer seemed to ignor and not understand any feelings other than that of his hero Woody and he is written as a pretty shallow character even if he is a classics professor.