I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And I never lie about books...

I fell in love with this book very early on. There is some very beautiful writing here. I love the language the author uses. She just puts everything out there so easily. Word choices are not canned or commonplace. Things are described in a way that makes the reader easily understand and sympathize with Mary. I felt at home reading this book. Though the topic of the plot wasn't always a comfortable one, it was written in a way that made me feel as if I had been welcomed into the character's home and life.

All of the characters were full and real. They interacted realistically with one another and for the most part responded realistically. I thought she did a wonderful job portraying a full picture of Mary, both as her own person and in terms of the roles she plays...mother, wife, etc. The supporting characters are written just as well. None of the characters featured felt like an afterthought; they all served their purpose and the writing fully committed to completing their portions of the story.

There seemed to be little to no force in the forwarding of the plot. It progressed very naturally without feeling boring or trite. The balance of Mary's past and present life are woven into the story line very well. There were no instances where the juxtaposition felt odd or left me confused.

Overall, I think this book managed to remain engaging without being extravagant. I could definitely go for a sequel to follow the events after the close of this book, but I didn't feel that the ending lacked any sense of reasonable closure.