This is a really tough review to write. On one hand, this book is gorgeously written and epic in its portrayal of slavery, freedom, and resiliency. On the other hand, it's a winding piece of meandering prose with a ton of characters, shifting timelines (that are not terribly obvious), and not a lot of plot. It took me over 3 weeks to read this book, which is unheard of for me with fiction (even chunky books); I had a really difficult time connecting with it and getting into a groove. I even interrupted my reading to read two other "easy" books (romance & horror) to get me out of the slump. I should have probably DNFed this book, because the style just wasn't for me, but I felt compelled to push through because it really is an impressive piece of writing.