This book has a lot of setup. I wanted to give up many times. I fell asleep continuously and often wondered when it gets interesting.

But then THAT part hits. Every piece of the story suddenly falls in place, like watching someone draw, and not understanding the process until the lines become shapes and objects. You see that every "boring" chapter was a set up for something. The pointless characters get fleshed out and inner-monologues from 5 chapters back clear up.

All this while wonderfully and realistically interweaving the motivations of regular people in the French revolution, their suffering, and the resulting pain they inflict on others, continuing the cycle of oppression.

There is one type of character I just barely see anymore, bombarded by Hollywood-like stories. A loser. A loser in every sense and a loser for life. This loser doesn't magically get better and achieve something to society's liking. He doesn't find meaning in the regular routine of life, like it's so often the case. I can't disclose anymore without getting into spoiler territory, but when you read the story, you'll understand what I mean.

Massive amounts of ideas and interesting tidbits for such a short book.