This was my favorite book in college. During my freshman year, I think I read it through two or three times. It's beautiful. It's a masterpiece. The genre is unusual for a modern audience (epistolary historical fiction), but there was never a dull moment for me. The book is a character study of a man who feels he's failed in every aspect of his life. One of the greatest works of modern classical reception, this is a book I'll return to again and again throughout my life.