This book was just okay for me. I loved the characters and the theme of the story. However, I hated the rambling on and the style in which this book was written. I drove me CRAZY!! I also disliked the references to books, poems, music that is woven throughout. Maybe if I had read all those books it would have meant something, but I have not and therefore it did not. The emotional aspect of the book was translated very well and it cannot help but to strike a chord with the reader. Overall, the book is very difficult to "get into" but by the last 25% I become invested in the characters lives and truly enjoyed that portion of the book.