I finally completed this book yesterday. As always Mr. Gopnik gave me a lot. His fluid, introspective review of minutia that really makes up our life, is perceptive and often makes you want to be patient and introspective yourself. This follow-up to the 'Paris to the moon' is a somewhat different. The first book was more about Paris and less about child raising and this one is more about the personal experience and joy or bringing up your children but also the obvious pain of the knowledge that as you help your children grow you are also helping them go away from you. You raise them to lose them. This poignant dilemma it seems is the central driving force for Mr. Gopnik.