I was instantly drawn into the story of Jack McCall and his young daughter Leah as they attempted to put the pieces of their lives together after his wife's suicide. I was, however, not as interested in the countless turns the story took away from that plot line. While the Holocaust, the Vietnam war, and the internal battle waged by misplaced southern Americans living in Rome are certainly interesting topics, I found that they diluted the story that I wanted to read.
Without a doubt, Conroy's prose is impressive in it's style and pageantry. Now, if only it were more focused here....