Ellen Gilchrist has skillfully interwoven stories that chronicle the life of Rhoda Manning from early adolescence to late middle age. Rhoda is the very definition of a narcissistic personality thrroughout her self-absorbed life, leaving in her wake bewilderment and harm to her husbands and children in her quest for immediate gratification. This book is very well written with a main character who is memorable for her lack of any redeeming qualities.