This was a slow starter but with a low slow burn that lasted until the (great) ending. It was a bit long (and I admittedly skipped over some of the narrator's inner dialogue, probably to my detriment) but the slow slog was worth it for the peek into a complicated women's group from a completely different time and space. This book had me thinking about it afterwards, which for me is the true definition of a good read. If the author could tighten up and lighten up a bit this would easily be a 5, but it's still so close for me. Ultimately, I decided although I contemplated it for a long time afterwards, the fact that I skipped some meant it couldn't be a 5.