What I loved most about this book was the characterization: nearly everyone in the book has serious personal problems or bad character, and in a lesser book they would be difficult to sympathize with. In this book the characters are written so skillfully that even though you know they are terrible people, they are just so darn likeable.

Four-and-a-half stars. The book moves smoothly and quickly most of the time, marred by a few draggy spots, and an overly talky "this is what it all meant" ending. Definitely worth the praise it's been given.