For the most part, this is a light read that has enormous heart and warmth despite the frigid Irish climate. Throughout, the three primary characters seem to capture the differences in their generations and certainly the gap between them, yet, the bond of family remains clear. Via Millie, we are drawn back to a bygone era when things were vastly more difficult, and yet, people just got on with it without any thought of whining or complaint. Ironically, in a reversal of patriarchal gender roles, Kevin struggles as a home-maker and desperately seeks to be validated for his contributions by his wife all the while contemplating his value as her husband. And through Aideen we are drawn into the tumultuous world of youth wherein everything is so intense that lessons and consequences are painfully learned only via experience. would recommenddd