This book fell extremely short of its potential. It was quick and surfacey, giving no time and depth to the world or its characters. In the Reader's Guide Ephron says, "For me, the best books are the ones in which you can lose yourself" and "The thing you hope for the most is that the characters ...
Each square of the cement was a blank canvas waiting to be filled. A monarch butterfly seemed to hover at eye-level, for a moment, before flying on, as if daring me to sketch it. It wouldn’t be hard—two triangles and a couple of lines. The roots of an old oak tree pushed up gently but firmly from...