I am going to freely admit to giving this book a bit of a bump in the ratings by sheer credit of being a classic. Though it doesn't technically rank up with the rest of my 3-star books, the style of writing and humor is certainly impressive given the time period in which it was written. However, I can't simply give it a total free pass.

There is a lot of wit and (dry) humor present in the writing and the entire narrative is ripe with over the top interactions and results. The sheer number of "coincidences" that happen along the way were painfully eye-rolling. Yes...I understand that this is on purpose as the entire piece is meant to be a satire and that it obtains its critical success largely because of this hyperbole, but still...too much. There is a lot of tongue in cheek humor, a frequent presence of oppositional circumstances, and a lot of thumbing its nose at religion.

Thankfully, it is short...which makes this crazy construction tolerable and somewhat entertaining. The plot does provide quite a bit of action and plot movement, which is impressive given the length. The shortness also allows the book to maintain relevance in the modern age, as readers are not tasked with wading through thick and overly flowery prose or excess description.

Long story short...good as a classic, but certainly not my general tastes. Worth appreciating for its ability to withstand the test of time, but I am thankful that it was not a larger book.