What I really liked about this book was the post-death connection between Freddie and her dead husband, Ken. The quirkiness and the wit found in their interaction positively stood out from the other couples mentioned in this novel. You simply don't experience that deep of an emotional, and physical, connection to that extreme between the other characters. Overall, I really liked the fact that the book was a throwback to the traditional style of publishing and what traditional stories used to look like. And by that I mean, it was a rich story with a lot to offer! The author took the time to lay out each of the major character's stories and thoroughly demonstrated how each character contributed to the whole of the story, and what each person passed on to the next generation. I didn't particularly care for the religious aspect on its own, but I did appreciate how religion contributed to the individual stories of the characters.
Personally, I was more fascinated by the history and complexity of the female characters themselves. Once I saw the chain link and the chain reaction across all four generations, I realized how well-crafted and well-developed this story is, and I appreciate it that much more. This is another one of those books that helped me understand my own relationship with my mother a little bit better. As children, our lives obviously started when we were born; therefore, we have a hard time grasping that our parents had this whole range of life experience before we came into the picture. This book really examined the family tree and makes you wonder at the history behind your own family.