This work wasn’t as compelling as the first book of his that I read. Too much dialog that was really lectures on the state of the world at the time. It would have been better if that information had been conveyed by the inner thoughts of some of the characters. However, I made a lot of exceptions as I went along for the standards and expectations applied to works written during this particular time period and so didn’t find those elements off-putting.
Another thing I wasn’t happy with was the attempts at humor. They were simply too dated to be pleasurable. However, again, I made allowances for that and moved on to the next narrative portion when those cropped up.
Overall, an enjoyable read. Not a particularly satisfying ending but well handled in terms of the society in which the author lived and the time period in which this was written. I would recommend this both as a cultural study and a solid story.
4 stars!