They are endearing creatures, with their antlers, bearded faces and big padded snow feet.
They are endearing to begin with, but once Mr. Wegman has put them through their paces, they become very much more.
And they're endearing, making essentially no distinction between feelings and boasts, over production that's cosmic and guttural and viscous.
Vida is a subtle writer whose voice is spare and authoritative, at times sounding like a less gothic Paul Bowles, and her third novel is further evidence that she can fashion characters as unpredictable as they are endearing.
With characters as eccentric as they are endearing you can now re-live Dorothy, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tinman and Toto's unexpected adventure to Emerald City with a pair of fresh eyes all over again.
They're passionate, they're endearing, and they're all performing scenes from the same play.
They already know their children can be challenging, but they also need to know that they can be endearing.
There's something very selfless about Helen's intrusive thoughts; they would even be endearing if they hadn't ruined her life and her relationship, prevented her from going to work, stopped her even leaving the house for a couple of years.
But Mr. Rose's anecdote about the Halloween tree he had in his house, and his re-creation of how young visitors react when they see it, was endearing enough to remind you that this is the same person who sings "Sweet Child o' Mine".
"If I were to explain to them that a blush can be endearing, they would only get angry and say I didn't understand," Dr. Ross said.
