Like some of the other reviewers who do not want to be swayed by public opinion (I particularly liked the "emperor's new clothes" analogy)--this book has got to be one of the worst things I have ever read. The prose is bad, the characters are uninteresting, and the story repeats itself over and over with no resolution at the end. The only reason I didn't throw it out the car window was that I was sure it had to get better. It didn't. Depressing start to finish. Sometimes you just wish you could get your money and your time back. Find something worthwhile to read--this book is not it.