I came to this book fearing it would not be for me, a male reader, but my doubts soon vanished. This is a real book with real characters, a real story line, both funny and sad. "Bittersweet" is how I would describe it. At times riotously funny, but with a sadness that underlies much of the telling as the main character, Francesca, confronts the challenges of marriage, children and parents who face more than the normal problems of aging - thus the bittersweet tone. Throughout it all the main character achieves a resolution in terms of her life and that of her family and friends that provides a lesson for us all. That's what makes a good book.