The Pursuit of Happiness - Douglas Kennedy

Selected as a big trashy novel to read while recovering from wisdom tooth extraction, this was a little more substantial (& therefore satisfying) than I'd expected. Although at its core it is indeed an epic family saga complete with doomed love affair and slowly revealed mystery, it is convincingly written and the characters are memorable and likeable. I particularly enjoyed reading it soon after The Golden Notebook as it deals in depth with the communist witch-hunts of 1950s America.