This is the story of a woman who possesses the talent and the discipline to become a great artist, but who loses the opportunity when she finally agrees to marry. The novel is written in such a way that no one is really at fault, her "failure" is simply the way life is...women are, in many ways, prisoners of their biology. Phelps' writing style is beautiful; I love the way she uses paint colors in her descriptions of people and settings. I think any woman who has felt the tug of career and sacrificed it in the genetic shove to reproduce will connect with this story.