I really liked this book. It took me a little while to get into it, but after a few chapters I kept wanting to know more: more about the characters and more about what would happen to them. The plot doesn't whoosh you along like in a modern action story, but its slower motion has a lot of power. I like the little subtleties and chance events that the author captures. The story reminds me a lot of reality. A romantic version of reality, maybe, but still reality.