A book about the little things in the lives of some middle-class people with middle-class problems. Fortunately, the writing is so good and so clear that there is never any temptation to roll your eyes and think "get over it!", as you would with the generic Pretty White Kids With Problems shows on TV. For all the misery, missteps, and suffering of the characters, the book is plainly optimistic throughout. In this, as in the close observation of the tiny moments in life, it reminded me much of George Eliot. Various independent story arcs tend to hit their important moments simultaneously, but the story is propelled along so neatly that you will ignore this affront to the laws of probability. This book was unsatisfying. It begins with the heart-breaking birth of a brainless child, who dies within hours. But it becomes marriage-breaking and family-breaking when you learn that the mom had kept the baby's handicap and inevitable death a secret. Really? Besides the obvious questions about didn't Dad bother coming on any prenatal visits there is the horror of mistrust that blows up nasty. And both parents forgot to pay attention to their other two kids, who spiraled into unhappiness and danger. There. Wanna read it?
Do You like book Come Un Petalo Bianco D'estate (2011)?
I really enjoyed this story though when I finished the book, I felt like the story wasn't over.
—Nicolec
Started well, but seemed to go in too many directions by the end.
—Hello1
A good writer does not always a good storyteller make.
—julie
A dysfunctional family and a good vacation read
—Fitzburg
Didn't grab me and go in a clear direction.
—JoAnn
