Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

At over 1,500 reviews, I know my review won't make a difference, but I just wrote a negative review, so I felt the need to balance things out. I'll make this brief. This is one of the most outstanding novels I've ever read. I normally don't reread books, but this one will be the exception. Stout tells small stories about small people, in a small town, but none of this is small, because Stout reveals that all of our stories--and yes this is an every person type of book, are beautiful. Stout's empathetic authorial voice is beautiful. Beautiful is a word I use over and over describing this book. Her use of language is heart bracingly beautiful to the point where sometimes I had to put the book down just to absorb the profound pathos she describes. I promised a short review, so I will conclude by saying my life has been enriched by reading this novel.