Critics seem to rate this book with five stars, while readers give it a more valid rating of 3.5 stars. Realistic characters at times but unbelievable all too often. The characters become one-dimensional too often. Compare it to the beauty of books like Robert Penn Warren's …more "All the King's Men" where "good" characters are shown to be evil, "bad" characters are shown to be good. Then look at Lila, Elena, Reno,... who are one - dimensional for 300 pages. This would not be a fair comparison, but it helps me describe my disappointment with how critics seem to be uncritical, at times. (less)