Upon finding this "liberal" novel in my conservative, college library, I was quite interested to read the author's views about homosexuality in southern aristocratic culture. The beginning of the story grabbed my attention with Frazier's near-death experience and her subsequent "outing" to her friends and family. However, by the second half of the book I was wondering if the author had a point to make, or even a plot. The conclusion of the novel was highly disappointing because the author forgot about the minimal plot she had developed and proceeded to display highly controversial political messages in the form of Frazier's interactions with greek mythological characters. All in all, Rita Mae Brown could have spent more time on character and plot development, and less time on the southern scenery she so loves to describe. If you are expecting to read an interesting and open-minded novel, chose something else, or you'll resent the time wasted.