Omie

I kept wanting to like this book, but in attempting to do so much, it failed to move me. I found the love stories unconvincing and most of the characters as superficial as they time in which they lived (maybe that was the point?) I was particularly disappointed with the narrator. Her women were OK, but I cringed whenever she did men. They all had gnarled voices (it was impossible to imagine any of them as romantic figures) and her "Jewish" accents were hackneyed and embarrassing.

This is a gorgeous, richly conceived book. All the characters are interesting and "true" in their way, but the women are especially original and wonderful. Baxter has a wonderful imagination and is a careful observer of real people in real situations, and he makes them (most of them) people you would like to know. Chloe is absolutely unique and charming. Curiously, the female narrator, Amanda Karr (Carr?) is not credited on this website. She is perhaps the best narrator I have heard, bringing her characters absolutely to life, each one different and real. If I could find her on the website, I would select other books she's narrated just to hear her read.