I both loved and hated this and this taught me true patience. I desperately wanted to finish this and I'm happy I stuck with it. There were some incredible moments like Sara going to college, breaking free of the patriarchal standards she'd been subjected to her whole life, and becoming a intelligent and independent woman. I loved her growth. However, the first half was easily about her horrible father who was a lazy schmuck who belittled, bullied, and and puppeteered his wife and daughters. He was an actual tyrant and I didn't like how in the end the book tried to make his person okay because he's "a part of the old world." No thanks. A 3.5 though.