I thought this book was good but not great. It was a bit inconsistent, in my opinion, and I did not grow attached to any of the characters. The language at times seemed a bit stilted (I actually thought early on that it was a translation from a Scandinavian language, but could find no evidence of this, so I guess it was written in English). With the characters' own reserve and the jumps in time, as well as references to historical and geographical points that are unfamiliar to me and which were not explained in depth, I don't feel that I really got the "whole" story; it felt as if there were gaps. I guess that would be the case if it were a true family history -- it would likely have greater gaps -- but in a novel I want a bit more. ( )

A story of family and social history told through the women in the family. A lovely story well told and beautifully written. ( )

I really liked this book. It is multigenerational and deals with life with all of its ups and downs, yearnings, acceptance, and most of all, love.

http://amiralace.blogspot.com/2009/02... ( )

This is a wonderful read. It starts out a bit slow, and a bit confusing. I wished many times I had written a family tree to keep track of the characters. However, by the time I was halfway through, I had a pretty good handle on the names. The story switches generations, but the style of narration changes, too, so I never got confused.

What I love is the history of Sweden, and the bits about how the Socialist Party came to be in Sweden, and that there isn't ever blame placed on another character for causing another to be the way they are.

Too often family sagas place emphasis on blaming someone for faults in another. There are accusations of wrong doing and horrible treatment in this story, but there is no blame. It is more about accepting what has been done, moving on and trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. There is "dysfunction" here but it is not the featured story. That is why I so enjoy this story. ( )