Finally finished! I enjoyed this book and always feel like I'm getting a good "deal" with a very long novel. I felt the story was engaging, but some of the description was overly long. The final chapter, for instance, read more like a scholarly essay and kind of left me flat. I did like the way that the plot kept weaving back on itself and I truly cared for many of the characters. I'm going to have to go back and re-read (and finish!) The Secret History.