Susan C

Another good Anne Tyler book. I liked following Willa through the stages of her life — seeing how she felt about her life and how she related to others. As a transplant from Minnesota to southern California I understand how she missed the seasons. I found the novel's characters to be interesting, eccentric and likable.
What makes a family?

A well researched novel that takes place in early 18th century London. The author gives a good idea of what it was like to live in London at that time (especially for women and the poor) - and tells a good mystery story. The characters are well developed and interesting. If you have read the first novel, The Devil in the Marshalsea, you will enjoy the novel even more. I would recommend this book to my friends and book clubs.

I enjoyed learning about the setting of this novel - the Falkland Islands - what it's like to live in what seem harsh surroundings, somewhat isolated location. The story did not flow well at times, seemed disjointed, and the characters' reactions did not always seem realistic. Not sure how I feel about the surprising ending. Not a bad book, just not as good as it could have been.