I have read many posts about how wonderful and magical this book is. The first time I read it, I didn't feel like it lived up to the hype. It wasn't a bad book, really, but I couldn't find myself relating to it or being drawn in by the magic at all. Most of the book just seemed pretentious or boring to me.

Still, I kept seeing it everywhere, and I started getting suspicious that maybe I just read it at a bad time. This seemed like a book that you really had to be in the mood for.

So I decided to re-read it, and at first, I felt the same - it wasn't a bad book, but I just couldn't feel the magic. It pulled me in slowly, but soon I could feel my opinion changing. The second time around, this book captured me halfway and made me feel things, to the point that I genuinely cried at several scenes, even in public.

I still claim that this is one of those books that you have to be in the mood for, but once the mood is there, it is a wonderful read. The relationship between the two boys, and their relationships to their parents were amazing and heartfelt, and Aristotle's dilemma about his brother was also heartbreaking. It was great to see supportive, loving parents and families, even if they had conflicts between themselves.