This book is about people. As the story moves along it reveals more and more details about each of the main characters making them into very well-rounded and sympathetic characters. At the end of the book, the reader is left with feelings of affection for each of them.

This book is also about teams at work and shows how slight changes can affect the entire team's spirit. The book is therefore interesting for anyone who has worked closely in a team or managed a team. ( )

This is the first time I have read Adelle Waldman and I greatly enjoyed the book. The subject matter is one that needs to done more often. That is about the working poor in our country. The story takes place now and is in Potterstown New York which is a an upstate town that has seen better days. It used to have IBM but they left and now jobs etc are scarce. Town Square is a big retail Walmart type store that contains all the negative things we think of about modern big store retail. The employees of the "Movement" group which is a cute corporate name for logistics and a group of people just trying to keep their lives together. They are low wage non-union people that due to managements policy of keeping hours down to prevent overtime and having to pay benefits need food stamps, second jobs, and hopefully living in their parents spare rooms to make life go. There are adults with kids, ex-spouses, absent parents etc. All the negative things that can go wrong at this end of economic hierarchy are dealt with in the book. Waldman introduces the team and gives the reader a real look into this lives of people that have to deal with each day being a struggle. She does this with humor and insight. You really get to learn about life in this environment and how even a glimmer of hope is grabbed on to in order to get them through the day. This is a worthwhile read, both funny, sad, and educational. I will be sure to get her first novel and am glad to be introduced to this author. ( )