This book was such a surprise to me. I added it to my booklist after hearing great things about it but was unimpressed by page 100. A friend told me to stick with it because it got infinitely better after page 200, quite an investment (esp. since it was the book I read as I commuted and the weight of the book dug my pocketbook into my shoulder--more reason for me to not continue this book.)

So by page 201, I was pleasantly surprised when the book became not just good but gripping. I didn't want to put it down. I didn't want to miss a single word of this saga. It wasn't written in a highfalutin style but the narrative is still strong. By the end of the book, I felt like I'd just finished an intense journey.

This year I learned that the book was loosely based on Hamlet and it makes so much sense! Now it *almost* makes me want to reread it to do a plot-by-plot comparison.