I found this story captivating and hard to put down. I disagree with an earlier customer review which panned it as --"love from the first sight" Well, no; the lovers are cousins and have grown up on the same extended-family ranch; their love grew as they did, over their young lives. --"incest" No; relations between first cousins is not incest, although in some states of the U.S. cousin marriage is illegal; only a few label it incest, and it's not even illegal in any country in Europe, nor, as I understand it, in Argentina. --"patient, waiting love" Is this bad? True, their love lasted at least 24 years after their forced separation, but this is not unusual. I doubt that any genuine, deep love is ever altogether forgotten; it shapes who a person is for the rest of their lives. --"marital unfaithfulness . . . purely sexual affairs" Yes, and these make _Madame Bovary_ bad literature?I could go on enumerating points on which I disagree with that negative review.Personally, I found the descriptions of the Argentine pampas, of Buenos Aires under changing conditions, and of the relationships among members of the extended family to be both interesting and helpful. (But then, I enjoy _Les Miserables_ and _War and Peace_ too.) In one sense, there is no ending for a story of forbidden love that is both satisfying and non-trite; but Montefiore has brought significant healing and closure to her characters. She tells an interesting story and she tells it well. I found Sofia and Santi (Santiago) Solanas very appealing protagonists.That said, this book is still a Romance, and not in the same category as the classics I've mentioned. But while I'm no connoisseur of Romances, I think it's a darn good one.