It took me a long time to get into this book, and I probably would have DNF'd it if I hadn't been so enamored with the premise. But honestly, it was really kind of a drag. Started strong, but quickly devolved into

a treatise on why abortion is a sin, which is just ugh

, not to mention

the fact that Leo ended up joining the army at the height of the Vietnam war, which was some real Forrest Gump type shit.

Additionally, there was a startling and somewhat unsettling lack of black characters for a book with such an appreciative, reverential attitude toward the blues as a musical styling.

Generally, I was disappointed with this, which sucks, because I was so excited going into it.