I enjoyed this book, the prose is good. It has many themes, friendship, jealousy, love, sex, fashion, anorexia and death. The book captures well the school days and time at university for a young woman in England in the 60's and 70's. It also describes how education facilitated changes in society in the period of early feminism and the working class/middle class divide and ultimately how it didn't. I did find the character of Carmel, the main protaganist, somewhat unconstant and I am not sure that she behaved at all times in a believable way. I was unsure whether to give the book 3 or 4 stars, (would have liked a three and a half) because the end was unsatisfying BUT thought provoking and surely that is a great thing in a book.