Since I made it through 300 pages, I'm calling it 'read.' After reading Elizabeth's negative review (at Princess Nebraska.com) of the Goldfinch (utterly depressing, no thank you) and that she loved The Little Friend, I figured it was a no-brainer to read it instead. Although we have very similar Goodreads ratings, we don't agree on this one! I gave it my all, but I'm just not a fan of TOO MUCH DETAIL and entire chapters that don't have anything to do with the story, even if that are beautifully written. For sure, I felt like someone plopped me down smack in the middle of Virginia in the 70s; she really is masterful at setting a scene. But the story is too languid and I have too many books on hold that I want to read to put up with this one any longer. Darn.