My personal review: Beautiful, captivating, so well-written! Made me chuckle, laugh out loud, and sigh in frustration at the character's losses. I've never felt so connected and drawn to such a wide cast of characters. The personalities and back stories were so honest, raw, and real. Every time I thought I knew a character they would go and develop some new belief or make some unexpected decision. (Slight spoiler but not really): I was completely caught off guard by the final twist that the narrator reveals at the end. The author is clearly knowledgable on the twentieth century life of immigrant families in America. I learned some things I didn't know about the development of towns, restaurants, and music in America. I especially liked what the author had to say about the development of the suburbs and how that changed the pattern of life for many Americans. The ways that love is explained and examined were also quite beautiful and thought-provoking; each character seemed to have a different experience and different expectations when it comes to love and romance, but each had a story to tell.

ISBN: 9780425253175