i had trouble getting into/enjoying the book for about the first 1/3 of it...but i have a feeling that had more to do with distractions in my own life than the quality of the book. i enjoyed reading about a side of WWII i've never learned about (i.e. occupation of france). however, what i appreciated most about the novel was the author's strikingly candid observations about events as simple as nature occurring simultaneously with such devastating human events. for example, at one point she gives exquisite detail about snow falling on german uniforms and it is quite powerful. it makes you question how such simple things like nature can continue in the face of evil. at the same time she manages to depict many heartbreaking and heartwarming stories without suggesting that the germans are evil. after all, they are just as human as the rest of us.