My enthusiasm for this book has been on the wain since January. It’s too thick, too dull and all the names are too long, with far too many consonants. For a love story there seems an awful lot of detail about farming, and that coming from a fan of The Archers. Give me a scythe and there’s a pretty good chance I could tackle a hay field. But, what ever you do don’t trust ’em pesky peasants as they are sneaky, underhand and likely to swindle you.
The problem is morale, no point in trying to read a few pages before falling asleep as it will make no dent. My current plan is to only read it in fifty or one hundred page increments, that way I really feel like I am getting some where. So I am now nearly half way through, might be finished by Easter. Perhaps I should have given up Russian literature for Lent instead of cakes and cookies!
Lost In Footnotes 
Seem to recall similar dilemma in ‘Educating Rita’ over problems of staging ‘Peer Gynt’ – do it as a radio play: ergo- problems of getting through ‘Anna K.’ – watch the film.
Late night, Giver of Life???
I have already cheated and watched the mini-series. It’s the only way I can keep in mind the plot as I get lost in arable ramblings!