I feel a little sorry at giving this such a low rating, because the author clearly worked hard on this and it can't be easy to craft a story around such a horrible time in history. But ultimately, the rating reflects my reading experience, and this wasn't a good one at all.

First, the book is sloooooow. The amount of tedious detail is actually mind-numbing at times.

None of the three main characters are likable, ranging from conniving and manipulative to selfish to jealous. And not compellingly unlikable (I love me some unreliable narrators and well-written villains!) - they were just characters that I resented spending my time on.

Worst of all in my mind is that the women of this book appear to be far more interesting characters, but they exist solely to be set pieces in the narrative of the three men. They're there to provoke jealousy, be desired, prompt scholarly interest, and die in various ways.

I'm glad the book is over, and I'm not really glad I read it, but at least it filled a Popsugar prompt for me.