I can't decide between four and five stars, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. I really, really liked this, but is it going to go down as one of my favorites? Time will tell. This story spans over three generations, starting with a young German couple who fall in love and immigrate to America. They settle in Missouri and this is where the next few generations are born and raised. It is "told" by their grandson (It's fiction). I love American stories, and this moves from pre-WWI to prohibition to the depression to WWII, through the 50's and 60's and then with bigger jumps continues on to end in 2004. It has all the love, tragedy, and whims of real life. The only reason I am hesitant to give this 5 stars is that the grandson who is telling the story ends up having a boring adulthood and never has a family of his own. Also, near the end, there is tension about a kid in the family who marries a puerto-rican girl, but the year is 2004 and I didn't find this tension believable. I understand that this is a small town but...maybe if it was the 60's? One aspect I really loved is that the grandson telling the story and his three brothers sing barbershop together. P.S. The author's picture on the back flap is so handsome!