I've wanted to read this classic for a long time and just never got around to it. I will admit that I find classics difficult to even pick up - there's the risk of not understanding the language and writing style (especially when read in English), the often astounding page count, and the possibility of not liking it and then feeling like an idiot because it must be that I just didn't get it. Especially if the book's by a well known genius man.

This was an easy read though. I listened to the audiobook and found that also approachable and accessible. The story was engaging and I was fully invested. The main character really makes you feel for her, even when you want to shake her to make her stand up for herself - although her actions and insecurities make perfect sense and this was the best way to write her, it's just that I empathized with her so strongly.

The experience would probably have been different if I'd read it as a book. I felt like the tone of the audiobook narrator didn't always match how I thought a line should be delivered. I also felt that the writing was sometimes repetitive with "that's how it is, isn't it" structure used constantly, same with conversations being just Yes, Yes, Yes one after the other. That might have been a deliberate choice and different in writing.

A great read overall, would recommend to anyone, especially someone looking to read a classic that is not mind-numbingly boring, difficult to read with nothing at all happening after 900 pages.