A good start, strong writing and characters of depth and interest. However, 2/3s in, Banner takes on too much. The story of the family and the children was plenty: rich, evocative and satisfying. The tangents weakened the plot and the characters became secondary to the meandering story line.

One should buy Boyd's mystery writing because it funds his real writing, such as this gorgeous novel and the novel he was born to write, Any Human Heart. Beautiful character depiction, gorgeous phrasing, and a humanity rarely found in modern writing. Buy Boyd.

A very disappointing read. I do believe, or would like to believe that we are waaaaay beyond the 'feisty female' protagonist. Main character (see, I have already forgotten her name) is so deeply stereotypical in too many ways. The writing was redundant and plodding in too …more many places. Life is far too brief (and this book far too long) to read this kind of writing. (less)

An OK read but not strong enough for my book club. Far too predictable in places, child character stretching the boundaries of credibility with far too much 'product placement' (is Cleave hoping for a screen writing gig and/or movie deal?) The characters' voices wavered in …more their consistency and his timing missed reality by a long shot. His second book follows Little Bee's template precisely. Same structure, same child character (with the seemingly de rigeur product placement) same male/female characters. The more I write here the more I realize how much I dislike this writer's works. Not on of England's greatest efforts (less)