I can see why this book has its detractors. The author is verbose, and there are nearly too many characters to keep track. I have started it a half dozen times in the past, and always put it down before. This time, I made myself read far enough to get into it. The density of the prose gave way to some stunningly beautiful passages. The quirks of the individual characters and their backstories began to stand out. I was hooked.
I will admit that there are passages - often whole chapters - that I skimmed. There were characters that I cared about more than others, and events that seemed too tangential to matter. I had to force myself not to linger on individual phrases, or I would never have gotten through it. I look forward to reading it again - this time on a snowy day, as my sister recommended - and reading those passages more closely and discovering new details.