I don't recall why or how we selected this book. Usually, that reason prompts our group's overall feeling of the book. That being said, I thought the story line was interesting. It started out slow, but in the middle, I couldn't put it down. The ending, however was most disappointing, especially after reading such a long story (455 pages). With novels, I usually determine the author's skill by how much I become attached to the characters, and actually think about them after I finish the books, as if they had become some kind of new friend. I did not feel any such attachment with these characters. It do think it is a good discussion book. There are a lot of personality issues that can be talked about. I know that is a lot of what our club discussed with this book.