This was my first Follett novel and it wasn't really what I expected. There was lots of petty, gossipy melodrama. Which I didn't hate, but I kind of thought from the way people talk about him that his books would be different? Wrong expectations going in, I guess. I really thought it'd be something more thought provoking or deep, but it was a little shallow and kind of just easy fun. It's one of those books that I definitely enjoyed in the moment, but the more I think about it, the less I care.

Essentially we focus on the poor relation of a wealthy family who is brilliant and infinitely better than everyone else, but alas the world is against him. It felt like cheap drama.

To be honest, had this book been tweaked and the focus put more on the romance than the family drama, this could have made a decent romance novel. It was almost there and it might have been a better book for it.

But I really enjoyed the pace. This is so slow and detailed that it really allows the reader to follow along with everything. It flowed so unbelievably well and that more than anything is why I'm interested in reading more Follett. I'm curious to see what some of his other books are like.