If you like historical fiction, this beast of a book is well worth a read. It took me a while to read, but that was because it was so heavy, I couldn't hold it for long!It was obvious that a great deal of research took place before writing this story. The characters were well developed and I loved them all. There was a great amount of detail in the description of the landscapes and of the characters and their homes. It all helped to set the scene and to draw me into the story. I couldn't wait to read further to find out what was going to happen.My only reservation is that there were a large number of characters to keep track of, but once I got into the story, this became easier.I would gladly read more from this author.