A mega best seller where I can understand the hype after finishing. Carefully planned, expertly written, steeped in meaning. The ending was so good I contemplated adding a half-star, but ultimately I decided not to because most of the book was slow for me; there is an excessive amount of nature and imagery. It's beautiful imagery—the author seems to have a knack for figurative language—but it's not exactly riveting when you're more interested in following the characters' lives.