I listened to this book. The longest book on CD that I have ever listened to. Very enjoyable. The author is very thorough with his descriptions, to say the least. I loved all the different personalities and how the author explored them to the tenth degree. The protagonist is such an interesting character. The reader knows him from childhood to adulthood. lovely watching him mature into a sensible human being in spite of all the misfortunes of youth..his and his mom's.