This book is flat out amazing. By no means an easy read, the payoff is well worth the inevitable bouts of frustration you'll endure. Nearly every chapter is written from a different point-of-view, and Mitchell masterfully weaves them into a narrative that spans the globe. It was on the curriculum for an undergraduate lit. course, and it was the highlight of the semester. Telling a story the way he does here is ambitious, and therefore easy to ruin. But where in other's hands it might seem gimmicky, Mitchell pulls it off w/ a clarity of expression that will leave you pondering the book long after you have finished reading. Purchase it now, thank me later.