This is the story of what most might call a hippie commune. It's told from the perspective of the first child born to the group, nicknamed Bit, living in what the group calls Arcadia. 
 While it was fascintating in the beginning, it quickly became a bit tedious for me. I wanted to know more about the inner workings of the group, what kept them together, what arguments happened between the adults, etc. However, because of the perspecitve it was told from, a lot of that information was limited; which may have been what the author intended. 
 The 2nd half of the book deals with Bit's life after the commune breaks up and he has to face the world outside. It was heartbreaking and difficult to read straight thru because of the relentless series of sad events. 
 The book was written well and the author had a lovely way of seeing the world through an adolescent's eyes. I did thoroughly enjoy parts of the book, overall though, it was just an OK read for me.