Beautiful book. Starts very slow and gentle, but really packs a punch.
The main character is an elderly (70 y/o) woman. She really is a woman, not a sci-fi-character-male-repackaged-as-a-woman. But she is smart and competent (which, you know, women actually cán be, even though sci-fi/fantasy makes them into either men or simpering damsels in distress)
I laughed out loud several times in this book, and I was terrified for my main characters. It evoked real likes and dislikes.
The book wasn't brilliant, but it was provocative and beautiful.