I felt like I was wading through a bog while reading this. Lots of heavy descriptions that seemed to lead nowhere. Some of the later stories were a bit confusing in terms of plot (and I wasn't the only one in book club with this opinion). The anti-semitism and anti-foreigner bits were probably more accepted at the time of publication, but today feel very off-putting, making me really dislike the characters. And the fact that nothing really gets resolved and nothing changes was frustrating. Felt like reading the memoirs of a corrupt old-boys political club. Only book club made me finish it.