This is one of my favorite books of all time。 I first read it as a high school assignment and full disclosure， the beginning had me bored to tears。 But stick with it - trust me。 I'm not a big reader of classic romances， but after page 80 I could not put this book down。 Over 8 years later I have read this book a total of 4 times。 This is a novel for those who don't want a conventional romance， but a story with strong， intelligent， well-rounded characters who develop complex bonds with one another over the course of the book。 It's long， but the plot is rich， the characters well formed， and the writing/plot much easier to digest than other writers of the same period。 Highly highly recommend。