This book is a beautiful, complex, multilayered story. I tried reading it a few years ago, and couldn't get into it, tried again and couldn't stop reading. So, if it's not pulling you in, I'd say drop it and try again later. When it pulled me, it pulled me hard. I loved the contrast of personal life vs political reality, and it was really insightful for me as a Russian to compare Soviet history to Chinese communist history.