I think I'd give this 3 1/2 stars if I could. I'd like to give it at least 4 because the idea of a 3-generation saga about strong women reminds me of my own history (growing up with my mother, grandmother and great-aunt). But, it never quite pulls me in the way I wish it would. The story of Hanna -- the first generation -- is the most memorable and deeply developed, I think. I never felt that I got to know Johanna very well at all; she was overshadowed by her larger-than-life eldest brother, Ragner, and her melodramatic daughter, Anna whose observations serve as bookends at the beginning and ending of the novel. Johanna is also the saddest of the three, I think. I yearned for a stronger bond among the women, more similar to my experience.