The first half of this book was a revelation--insightful, playful, energizing. I didn't know a thing about it, having happily stumbled upon it on a $1 sidewalk rack of an Oakland bookstore. I loved learning about the architecture of Mont St. Michel and Notre-Dame de Chartres (and a whole host of other cathedrals and abbeys by way of comparisons), the history of their construction, and the atmosphere of their milieu. All of the stuff about Chartres-as-shrine to the Virgin got to be a bit heavy-headed, though, and the book petered out after that, into rambling, quote-heavy history. It's worth reading that first half or so, though, which it simply magical. The amazing thing about places like Mont St. Michel and Chartres is that you are amazed by them without knowing a thing about them; half a lifetime has passed since I visited them, but they loom large in my memory, and it's a pleasure finally to flesh out their stories.