Characters always fleshed out as people I recognize. This ...
348592
Characters always fleshed out as people I recognize.  This author has the gift of switching from one scene to another without disturbing coherence.
3932920
I feel like I know the characters in this story and was not disappointed as all the lovable (and not so lovable) quirks of the individuals are carried on. Great story!
2030552
Her attention to detail is what draws you in at first. The well drawn characters and her sense of how people relate to one another keep me wanting more at the end of each story.
3228571
Not only do these individuals live in my hometown, they could be real people I know. They're refreshingly ordinary, imperfect souls who are intriguing in their character.  What mother hasn't felt the pull between the relationships of children, spouse and parent?  The story takes unexpected turns, where outcomes aren't predicably pat. Left me wanting more.
776096
Hard to add anything to the editorial reviews and the positive customer reviews, but one thing that this novel (and series) does so well is create believable and nuanced characters.

Yes, the books are beautifully put together.  Yes, they are full of surprises and mysteries.  Yes, it takes a little while for the narrative to take off (not a bad thing, really).

The characters, though, are rendered in sharp detail from so many different angles, that before you even realize it you come to know them intimately and care deeply about what happens to them.  Each of the 9 main characters' chapters is narrated from a third person limited point of view, so you get inside their heads.  The characters interact with each other, sometimes frequently, sometimes glancingly but to critical effect. So, not only do we get the characters' own view of themselves, but also we get the inner dialogue from related characters of the others.  Even the really evil seeming characters have fully developed inner lives we are privy to.

If you hate books with poorly developed characters, then these books are for you.
3241399
The characters and scenes continue to haunt me. Unusual ability to make fictional material seem so real.  Each story delves into a taboo event that slides seamlessly into every day normal situations when people are busy doing other things, so much so that one could later question, did what I think happen really happen.  It's like they always say in the news, "He/she was such a nice guy/gal, I had no idea and would have never predicted it."  Weirdly sexual and perverse, and yet, no actual detailed sex scenes. The opening story twist took me totally by surprise and hooked me, I didn't put the book down until I finished.  Fortunately or unfortunately as it may be due to theme of each short story, I can't stop thinking about them.
4344594
I didn't quite know what to expect, but as each chapter introduced a new character and the story became an ever-widening mystery, it also pulled me closer to these profoundly real people. I have a family, and they are often mysterious and confounding and beautiful. The trick is learning to let them tell their story. Like this one.
1231225
Continuity enjoyable. People seemed like old friends.
1441198
Discovering each character as they appear in the nivel from the narrators perspective. Their strengths and their weaknesses. Incredible
4705125
Such contrasting personalities with so much in common made for some very likable characters that kept me reading nonstop. Finished the book in one sitting.
3037210
I will never get tired of the authors passion about making you see people as they really are.  Katie sets the stage for all emotions as she writes, and you experience these emotions as the characters feel them.
3555969
Susan Keitzman has a way of writing that pulls readers right into the room or scene with the story's characters. You can see every expression on their faces, sense the tension in a room, even track a character's movements down to a chair scraping the floor as they drag it closer to the kitchen table.

I'd been forewarned that I might not find some or all of the characters very likeable. And that was indeed the case. But thanks to the author's ability to 'show' their transformation so subtly, I didn't even realize I was warming to them as the story progressed. I will say there is one character I never warmed to, but by book's end I felt I had a better understanding of her. And, my dislike of her only made me enjoy The Good Life more.
1674476
Lister's plot twists draw the reader in completely. Each character is skillfully fleshed out, each with his or her own flaws & graces, much like the characters we encounter in our own lives.
3775356
I always hope I will find myself drawn to the characters. Like them or loathe them, they must be believable. These are people I would want to meet - some to hug and some to smack up side the head. Well crafted and believable. Dot Hutchison has written a keeper. Not an easy read, but worth reading.
2735004
Annette Lyon developed each of the characters so that I felt like I knew each one of them personally. Having done that, I enjoyed each character immensely.
4903901
Great read. Would love to read more like this. Characterization was interesting and everyone has encountered people just like these characters.
337937
Even months after finishing this book, I still find myself thinking about the characters. This was an enjoyable and thought provoking read.