We had picked this as a summer book since it was so long, and I wasn't sure how many would actually read the whole book but was pleasantly surprised. The "core" group had all read the entire book, and we had 3 new people join us, because of the selection. We had one of the best discussions ever, and only stopped because the library was closing. For me, I thought it was well-written and definitely well researched, but I found the early part of the book slow going. I'm glad i stuck it out, though, and am now planning to read another McCullough book.