It's a very large, epic work. The author uses different types of narrative throughout the novel. It accomplishes in make you feel in your own flesh and bone the hunger and despair of the characters.

It details with clarity the human being's all-time feelings, corruption and evilness.
It delivers in terms of taking you away to another country, another culture and another world. Despite geographical differences and times, in the very bottom of our beings lies the same fears and aflictions.
Are we really free and independent? Or, even if we don't want it, we depend on others?
I appreciated the way the author changes the narrative according to the characters age and sex.
In the end I found it reality-crushing and pessimistic, maybe that's the real world true essence. I have to admit that it took me a long time to finish it, it has really deep chapters about sheep, politics, poetry; well in the end it really pays off.

I loved the spanish translation, it made me look for a few words in the dictionary which I enjoyed.