The beginning of this book drew me in, with its beautiful prose and the powerful imagery of eight women, gathering their brand new baby in a newly annointed "lucky" dress. The middle kept me engrossed, and while it was a bit muddled, it was still enough to keep me enjoying the book immensely. The end, I admit, was more of a challenge-I had lost a bit of rapport with the characters, partially because of Zan, an antagonist to even the reader I suppose. However, the end fit just right, and it was really a very good book. I plan on re-reading it, to maybe pick up a few things I missed the first time. I would recommend it to anyone who likes poetry, and beautiful, flowing prose-this book is a little bit of both.