This is one of the best books I can remember reading recently. Its writing style is smooth as silk and the events that unfold are so clearly described that it is easy to see them in your mind’s eye. The characters are wonderfully depicted; you would have to made of stone not to empathise with them, and be drawn in to their various relationships.
  It’s not absolutely perfect. I think O’Farrell overdoes the “she was not to know she was going to die early” line. Once is enough, but she reminds us on several occasions. I have slight reservations about the structure of the story, in that half way through I found myself thinking “I really hope such-and-such isn’t what’s happening here”, and of course it was; but when it all happened it worked well so perhaps my initial worries were groundless.
  I thoroughly recommend this book. I shall probably go out and find some other books by this author now.