I really loved the way that this book was told. It understands exactly how it feels to be a child, and that comes out perfectly in Leo’s narration— his self importance, his moments of humiliation, his childish notions of witchcraft, and his lack of understanding of the adults around him, who are emotionally shut off. It also understands how the passage of time distorts the memory of our feelings in the moment, as the older Leo recalls the events that happened in the summer of 1900 with a greater adult understanding and nostalgia for more innocent times before the two world wars— and war is present in the story, as abstract and distant as it can be. I really loved the subtlety of the story telling, and would definitely recommend this book.