And now I've closed the circle in a most satisfactory way--I stumbled across volume 3 and read that first, then went back to read volume 1 and then this volume 2. It's nice seeing the characters as they develop over time to get from point A back to point C, where I first met them. Strong characters, humorous, and poignant. For more detail, see my reviews of Down in the Dumps and Secret Diary.