Exquisite story, rich and well developed characters, wonderfully defined settings that seemed like a painting. This is a wonderful novel that tells the story of Francine Nolan and her family as it was in 1916. The story lasts until Francine is 17 and describes growing up in Brooklyn during the great depression. Although this should have been painful to describe, the author almost reminisces almost pleasantly about collecting aluminum foil for the junk man and having only bread and hot coffee for dinner. Don't get me wrong, in no way is the reader allowed to believe that this was pleasant or would Francine ever want to go back to such depths. But it is plain that the author believes that growing up in Brooklyn this way made Francine a better person. I would have loved the story to flash forward 50 years so we could have seen Francine all grown up and learned about her adult life. Instead, I read the biography of the author in the back and made assumptions.