it took me a good two months to get through this book. usually when something takes me that long i end up abandoning it. or hating it. but i persevered on this one because it is so lovingly, eloquently written. during a summer of emotional tumult, i was looking for something to explain to me "how to live", with the understanding that this would explain how to live WELL. happily. and yes, there is some pertinent information. these occasional insights were balanced by a historical chronology of montaigne's life and of france at the time. for a francophile with a curiosity about pretty much everything, the perfect book.