As a seventeen year old girl I had a life-altering experience reading Lorrie Moore's short story, "How To Become a Writer." It was the first story I ever read in a literature anthology, that made me think, "Yes, this is what I want to do too." So, I am willing to cut Lorrie a lot of slack. I enjoyed her wordplay, as to be expected, there were some very amusing moments, like when Tassie's brother shows off his report card that is 3 F's and a D, their father tells him, "Looks to me son, like you've been spending all your time on that one subject." The plot of this novel, was just too discursive, and desultory to be a truly stellar novel. Tassie at school and Tassie at home, seemed like two completely different characters, disconnected, the main plot element of the book, Tassie's nannying of a bi-racial child, didn't happen until almost 100 or so pages into the book, then ended abruptly long before the end of the book, perhaps that's an error in marketing I was expecting something I didn't get. I thought this book could have used some tightening up, and a little more focus. But I still love you Lorrie, if you really want to be blown away by a piece of fiction read her short story "People Like That Are the Only People Here." She, like me, might be a better short story writer, than novelist.