Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I truly do not understand how this book managed to get a nomination for the National Book Award. It is written for the next HBO mini-series or worse with a plot full of unbelievable coincidences that defy logic. The characters are stick figures with a few exceptions and the never ending dreambeat of World War II references is utterly tiresome. The main character is unsympathetic as are most of the others. She constantly makes choices that make no sense. Have I mentioned her father? He manages to escape his family, his gangster compadres, and a shipwreck without so much as a psychological scratch. Save your time and money and find a book to read that deserves to be nominated for the National Book Award.