2019: Very, very nearly as magical as the first time I read it, and I'm so glad I chose this reread as the start of my 2019 book journey. This was one of the first books where I genuinely felt the characters' desperation to be together despite all the obstacles in the way, how tightly their destinies were intertwined, how large and beautiful and tragic the story truly was. It raised my standards for all other books that followed, and for my own everyday life.
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c. 2012: I distinctly remember writing up a reflection of sorts after finishing this book for the first time, since I was using it as my independent pick for book club. Unfortunately, that notebook seems to have disappeared — whether it's been thrown out or is simply hiding among the stacks of my old scribblings, I have no idea.