I can't recommend this book to any of my friends.
SPOILER ALERT: There is a bit of a spoiler in the next paragraph.
There are a couple of themes going on in this book. The first is knowing oneself. How do we know who we are? Cora, abandoned as a child, felt compelled to find her birth mother because she thought it would help her to feel complete. Louise, raised by two parents, seemed to have the background that Cora envied. The author did a good job exploring the lives and backgrounds of the two characters and how they found that sense of self, or did not find it.
The other theme was morality. Set in the 20's, morality was black and white. If something was bad that was it, there were no shades of gray. As Cora went through life, those lines began to blur. She was very judgmental in the beginning of the novel and became more aware and accepting as she matured. It was interesting to see the contrast between her and Louise, who because of life's unfairness, had a distinct lack of morality. The "real life" character, Louise, however, had very real consequences for her actions, but Cora, the fictional character, had a better life as she became more accepting of immorality.
I read a review on Goodreads earlier. The reviewer mentioned that the historic information was sometimes put in as an aside; she said, "It was jarring every time" I agree. The author also covered large blocks of time and often it seemed rushed. The book would have been better if Moriarty hadn't tried to cover a lifetime.
On a positive note: Cora's story was very interesting and it really pulled me in. It didn't take me long to read the book.