This book eked into “liked it” territory just barely. It was a good read, but felt like a lot of books I’d read before. It felt like Toni Morrison for its brand consciousness and concern with the cost of things. It felt like The Secret Life of Bees because it’s got the same general outline -- person who has gone through hardship had to make do in a new and sometimes un-nice environment; eventually she finds comfort in the companionship of women and even though there are problems they are better than the ones she had. It also feels like every other sort of woman-focused book I’ve read lately. If it were a movie it would be a chick flick. That’s not to say that the story isn’t interesting, just that it moves along fairly predictable paths to its eventual unsuprising conclusion