Parts of this were rough to read--not because of the quality of the writing, but because of the death, grief, and sexual abuse--but it's compelling; I found myself wanting to spend every spare moment going through this book. I did like Elizabeth Zott, despite some of her more irksome moments, and I appreciated the terrible men in the story getting their comeuppance. Some of my favorite characters, however, were side characters (e.g., Harriet and Walter), who evolved throughout the story rather than being tossed aside.

I can see why this won the Goodreads Choice Award in its category this year.