This book falls in the category of a "good beach read." The storyline drags mercilessly once one has read through the initial very engrossing pages. The writing style becomes increasingly tiresome. Towards the end, I was skipping whole paragraphs and didn't feel as if I'd missed a thing. The characters are thoroughly unlikeable. When I finished this book, I read a book by Marily Robinson, "Housekeeping", and was struck by the contrast between a great writer and a fair writer. Don't waste your time, unless you're on the beach with time to waste!