This was a re-read for me but probably due to how long the book is I really couldn't remember a lot of the storyline so it was well worth revisiting. This time I did cheat, I admit it, I did  listen to the audiobook version but it still took a couple of weeks for me to get through. I really do love this book, the only gripe I could ever have is the number of times the word "speculative" is used, but other than that it is a beautiful story and well worth giving it your time.