A tagline for this novel could be: A young woman travels from the US to England and Italy in the 60s (and 70s) trying to find herself.

I grew up in that era and don’t think I could come up with too many candidates (female or male) whose diary of self-discovery I would want to read.

But Tepper has created a character in Merrill with a great breezy style. It’s fun to follow her self-absorbed journey through a few countries and many men.

It takes considerable skill to create a narrative that seems so natural and effortless. It really does feel like you are reading someone's diary, but with all the boring parts left out.

Very fine work.
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Very well-told and and engaging tale about Merrill Kimberly, a modern woman at loose ends who traipses across the US and Europe looking for answers without every quite knowing the questions. She finds adventure and romance and finally, at the end, maybe the beginning of the truth of herself. I thought about Holly Golightly while reading this, and I loved the voice and the true-as-a-tuning-fork tone. ( )