It felt like the text needed to go through a few more rounds of edits; so much over-description through similes and metaphors (there are some good ones, but they are overshadowed by the constant use of others) and constant rephrasing, made it a slow read (nothing wrong with slow books, but it was just so repetitive). Loved the premise, historical retelling/perspective, characters and their backgrounds and strong relationships, and realistic representation of chronic illness. Mara Wilson is a fantastic narrator.