There was a lot of repetition of one of the character's problems and that got to me. The ending was surprising in that one of the characters suddenly goes off to a place where he had never spoken of before. I'm trying not to give anything away!! Still, it was a good easy read.

However, one of the crusty old women said something I think is true: "Children require to be praised and lauded for simply existing and adults have to be awarded prizes for being merely adequate. Standards must be lowered lest anyone should fail and excellence is diluted down and shared out amongst footballers, those who acquire wealth through bully-boy tactics or talentless musicians. These are our icons in a society of wishy-washy political correctness. I cannot abide it."