I don't remember who coined the term cozy space opera (I think it was one of the galactic suburbanites) to discuss Chambers' work, but it absolutely qualifies.
I almost wish I had read this before the Hugo noms came out and I wasn't reading it to evaluate it (or reading it over that ridiculous watermark: My research kinda suggests that interfering with the novel reading process leads to a less enjoyable text...I wonder if publishers realize that the logical conclusion is that watermarking books hamstrings their ability to win). Chambers is still a delightful read and though the book itself was somewhat awkward with pacing, the meat of the characters and grappling with sentience more than made up for it.