Beautifully written, a tapestry of lives, in which even the most minor character (so long as he's a man) is finely drawn, with a rich history and hopes and dreams. The female characters, not so much. Not at all, to be exact. But my main problem with the book was its complete lack of plot or character development. Which probably throws it into the realm of a picaresque. Make that, a picturesque picaresque.