The prose in and of itself was lovely but it was so. boring. And I say this as someone who loves reading for language. I can read chapters and chapters where nothing happens so long as I feel that I'm getting to know a character, a situation, or an environment better. This book had things that happened but they seemed to happen just because, and I didn't know any of the characters well enough to care about what was happening to them (or should I say around them). The writing was beautiful but that just wasn't enough this time.