I could not put this book down. It was an incredible story of a very tenacious, independent and goal oriented woman at a time when woman were expected to be submissive to a man's ambition only. I loved Lily's toughness when it came to drawing the line between right and wrong. I smiled when she became indignant about her first husband attempted to get her to pity him because he just couldn't help it if he wanted to marry her too. She could see through to the truth and didn't have a problem letting anyone know it. The personal hygiene issues, like filthy clothes, were a little alarming. What a life!