I'm a lover of historical fiction and Ken Follett. This novel had all the normal Ken Follett devices, drama, lost lost, naive females coming to know the world, and at times it was very slow. The book isn't bad at all but at times the cliches were too prevalent. The last third of the book sped up and made the book worth it. The overall piece of fiction was just an okay read. Ken Follett is capable of more but this passed the time.