I enjoyed the book a lot more than I expected to though it is flawed in places. There are almost too many plot threads making for a chaotic first half of the book. Heinlein used a very chit-chatty voice for telling the story of Friday's quest for a family and sometimes it works and a lot of time it doesn't. I did like the near future world he describes where the major countries have fallen apart into smaller feudal countries: such as California, Texas, Chicago, British Canada, and so on. The second round of revolutions though becomes too much of a distraction.

This book was published the same year Blade Runner came out (1982), and I've often wondered if there was a connection - Blade Runner was based on Philip Dick's 1968 novel, but there are definite similarities. I read this book while on a military deployment that was mostly boredom, and thank goodness I had this book, because I would have been climbing the walls otherwise. Very entertaining, and interesting how Heinlein understood prejudice against strong women 35+ years ago.