So I've been on a middle grades/young adult kick because, frankly, they're easier for me to finish right now, and they're comforting -- especially Ann M. Martin, who's been a reliable standby for some 25 years (!) now.

I'm reading this series for the pure enjoyment of it (the four generations concept is something I would have loved as a kid), not because I expected anything great, or as moving and atmospheric as [b: A Corner of the Universe|65070|A Corner of the Universe|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400681323s/65070.jpg|63141] or [b: Rain Reign|20575434|Rain Reign|Ann M. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396393170s/20575434.jpg|39843440]. And I wouldn't call them great, either as YA fiction or historical fiction, but they're pretty good for what they're aiming to do, especially as you start to watch things play out generationally.

We have a lot of familiar Ann Martin themes: kids and adults with disabilities/special needs, giftedness, divorce (major GRR at the parents in this book--so selfish), prejudice, family conflict, best friends. Some are dealt with more deftly than others, but you're able to see changing attitudes over the decades.

I understand the frustration with the "vignette" nature of the storytelling, but I find it interesting what's left untold, too. For instance, the most striking part of this book was the way a traumatic event shapes the rest of Francie's childhood, and her very personality, though Martin is quite subtle about this. Francie's high achieving, peacemaker personality seems to emerge from that early, tragic, resolve to do everything she can to prevent anything scarier from befalling her or those she loves. Heartbreaking, in a quieter way than some of the pivot points in earlier books, and I wonder how it will play out in her daughter's life, especially as (if I had to guess) 9/11 is going to be pretty formative in the final volume. ( )