I'd love to say that my bonkers schedule between work, theatre, and other life events is what kept me from completing this book for over a month. It certainly contributed some. But when given the moments to unwind in my free time, I found myself choosing anything else.

I'm a fan of Gardner's past works, but I was admittedly hesitant with such an early work into her catalogue. Turns out my hesitations were justly met, unfortunately.

This book is far too bloated for its own good. I felt like I was being dragged kicking and screaming through at least 100, if not 150 pages that could have been culled down to make room for a more streamlined and enjoyable reading experience. The characters feel antiquated even for 1999, and I found each twist rather predictable or headscratchingly incomprehensible. You can see the glimmers of the writer Gardner will become in this work, and I'm glad for that. But this outing is a big swing and a miss for me.