I really enjoyed most of this. I don't know why, but I was expecting this book to be somewhat saccharine, and it wasn't at all. (Yay!) None of the relationships ended up like I thought they would, which happens so rarely and is something that delights me when it does. Both Rose and Joseph were very well done, I thought; I found them utterly convincing. Joseph's skill, however, was absolutely ludicrous, and in no way resembled the other talents shared by his family. A fascinating character ultimately wrecked because of this heavy-handedness, and primarily the reason why I knocked this down to three stars from four.

I also had a slight problem with the ending. The last two pages, especially - they seemed distinct from the rest of the book, also very heavy-handed. Practically screamed "I'm wrapping up now, this is the conclusion of my thesis".

(I'm still not at all put off chocolate-covered lemon cake, though.)