The story of Rose, a habitual abandoner, who finds herself in a home for unwed mothers in the 1960s. The story is about the place almost as much as the people--a place where people come for a brief, but life-altering, time and then move on. It is also the story of the people who stay there--Rose, with all her secrets, her daughter, the nuns and the groundskeeper. I loved the story of the place and I thought the writing was quite good. It held my interest and there were a few really lovely moments where a theme would repeat itself through time and generations, recalling other beautiful moments. I think, however, that I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it was not for the main character whom I just didn't like. I didn't understand her at all. She seems to act with no motivation or thought. I didn't understand why she did things, and I don't think she did either, but the author seems entirely sympathetic to her, which frustrated me. I loved all the other characters, but Rose, on whom everything hinges, annoyed me.