I liked this novel. It maintains a very quiet atmosphere throughout the whole novel. It is almost like it is all in a sort of soft focus and the sound is dampened by a particularly lovely shabby chic comforter.

The story is a little melancholy - it starts with a death in the family and that continues to be the touch point that drives the plot forward even thought there are plenty of other things going as well.

I liked the protagonist well enough - though I can't say that I identified with her. Sometimes I felt like the author was really underlining her shortcomings in order to make sure everyone understood her flaws. I didn't feel I needed quite so much reminding of her negatives and would have liked some more reason to be sympathetic towards her.

All in all though - I enjoyed this book - it wasn't particularly unpredictable but I enjoyed its pace and its mood. ( )

This book started off ok, but it got boring after a while, and I hated the ending. ( )

Martha Bone loves her "things." She is single, no children, and lives in an apartment above the antiques shop she owns. Martha's life changes drastically when her stepfather dies and she is put in charge of finding a home for his orphaned cat. Eventually, she has to make a decision between real life and things. This was an enjoyable read, a step above the usual chick lit. ( )