Impossible to keep the characters straight. Book jumps all over the place in every way. Characters come and go with unclear threads in the narrative. Any reader should keep their own list of characters as they appear (with brief descriptions)..for reference. If you must read it, I suggest copious notes for later reference (eg Who IS this person?!) There are many well-written passages, but no flow. It's like cocktail party food....interesting tidbits but not satisfying.