I tend to either love or dislike Alice Hoffman books and this one I loved! I think she does a magnificent job in weaving in different stories and timelines so that you can see how characters and cities and times have evolved. This book reminds me of how The Blackbird House is written and I loved that one as well. The characters were believable in all their strengths and weaknesses, hate and kindness. I definitely recommend the book if you like historical pieces.