ok..i don't usually read philosophy but this summer i read two bks (elegnace of hedgehog and kunderas lightness) with wonderful and page-turning philosophical content..so i thought i was ready for our 7ashura sophie..i was mistaken. 
 this bk is simply like reading a history bk, style wise. the writing style concerning the plot is so lame, too slow..the plot isnt that gd..and the philosophical content is nothing new or special..u could grab this bk anytime during the year, open it to any chapter u want and it wouldnt make a differnece...its like reading any bk abt philosophy and adding sophie and her mother to this was just so useless... 
 all in all, i stopped at abt page 90 cause simply nothing held me to the words or pages... 
 read Barbery and Kundera and you will realize this is utmost..uselessness...