Goodness, I'd like to give this 6,7,8 stars. What a glorious read. This novel was *exquisite*. The tension and atmosphere. It was slow in parts, much like Hamnet, but every delicious sensation is pulled out in luxurious detail. No word, no scene, no expression is wasted or thrown away. Every sentence is structured to a point, to throw something into relief.

I ummed and aahhed about this one - I really enjoyed Hamnet but I found it very slow and the tension was almost painful. This had much more pace I felt - there were scenes that were really pored over, but here it always felt appropriate for the scene.

If this even slightly tickles your fancy, I implore you to read it. It's one of those books I am sad I won't get to read for the first time again, but I will read it again for sure.