I'll have to copy another reviewer in calling this novel flawless, and still another in saying that it holds you from page one in its spell, capturing all your waking thoughts and interfering with your dreams. The writing is clear and simple but exquisite, filled with evocative images that I'll never forget (the skating scene, the bathtub scene, the tea 'forgotten' on the camping trip, and the hidden waterfall). I hesitate to even call the four friends "characters" because they're so fully realized that I became as invested in their lives as with my own (real!) friends. I especially sympathized with Charity for which I can say the novel held a not-so-pretty mirror up to my face. When is the last time a book really changed me? It's been years. I mean, even the chapters were structured so that the ends of each were a perfect stopping/reflection point! I don't know how Stegner did it, how he got that golden glow over the whole thing but I would certainly urge anyone pick this up and enjoy it. It's a great novel I will definitely read again.