Ever since I started reading Didion I've been enamored, and this, her first novel, did not disappoint. It's bleak, impossibly sad, and tragic. And I loved every sentence. I would re-read paragraphs just to take in the prose again, and nearly every page is earmarked for a passage I liked. But, fair warning - it's depressing and the characters aren't exactly the most likable. But that's part of what I loved about it. I understand not everyone likes reading sad novels...particularly those about a dismal marriage.