I'm still working on reading this one -- almost 800 pages -- so I'm not going to rate it yet. However, I'm definitely impressed so far by the complexity of the book and the family intrigue portrayed therein. It can make it difficult to read, but also has something else impressive going on that I can't seem to articulate yet.

A reference to "long books" in the Forum made me think of this book, and I realized I had never journalled it after finishing. This is one of those books I never would have read except for a BookCrossing challenge, because I didn't think I would like historical fiction. However, this changed my mind.