Teri McKay

Seems silly to be reviewing a book that has already proven it can stand the test of time, but I personally had a bit of a tough time with this one. The character of Maggie is, I'm sure, meant to represent the confusion involved in maturing from childhood to young adult & finding one's place in life. However, I found that I really tired of the way she bounced from one philosophy to another, one commitment to another. She was just so aggravatingly wishy-washy that I could not develop much sympathy for her. Still, a lovely book, beautifully written, and the ending made me cry.

I loved the book, and recommend it especially in today's political climate. It was astonishing to read that, even 150 years ago, there were con-men & liars who could rise to prominence in both society and politics. Trollope's description of these people& situations is marvelous. The book does have some of the soap opera style plot lines that are common to 19th century fiction--loves found, lost, found again--but even these are a commentary on the society of the time. Beautifully written, with humor & insight, I loved the entire experience.