I am not sure why this book got such a low rating. Obviously it's not a Nobel-prize material, but it is a decently written, quite entertaining bit of work, which I find a praise-worthy. Unfortunately most of the books I attempted recently were of the "aiming for the book of the century" kind, and this really does not necessarily translate into "the book that you can dip into when you need an escape". I mostly read to escape, because if I need a reality, it's just RIGHT THERE. Therefore I do appreciate the world where everything is sorted out, eventually, and where everybody has a sense of humor, and all ends well. YAY!!!! So what gets me aggravated is the writer's "hiccups" that interrupt the flow of my reading. I found none here. And it's not pretending to be a "book of a century". Not even a "book of a decade". And as long as I can read a book without the constant ??????????? interruptions, I am a happy camper, and that book is worthy of recommendation. Because a choice of the matters is up to you - the reader, but the choice of the way the matter is presented to you - not so much. Obviously there is much to say in the Chmielewska's influence on this, but seriously - the more good Joanna's good fun, the better.
Oh well, the bottom line is that - I read it, and I enjoyed it. That should be the best recommendation.