Beautifully written with beautiful characters. Some I cared about immediately, while others I grew to love as I learned more about them. The story rests heavily on its characters' shoulders, rather than on its plot, and as a result I found it to be a very emotional experience. Spanning several years of its characters' lives, the book captures the natural highs and lows that accompany the passing of time. Ivey blurs the line between fairy tale and vanilla fiction, and the result is whimsically touching.