I had been trying to get through this title for (what seemed like) a long time, without making much progress. Last week Warren (12) noticed me reading it and said "That book must not be very good." I knew what he was getting at, but I asked him why he said that anyway. He replied, "You've been reading it a while, and haven't gotten that far." 
 Well. There the truth was, and once I accepted that, I knew it was time to stop trying to finish the book. More truth--I only got as far as I did (page 84) because a friend recommended it. Sorry I didn't like it! :O 
 What didn't I like? The writing style. The story seems engaging enough--a telling of how the man principally involved in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (the Professor) receives help from a crazy guy, only he doesn't realize the guy is crazy until later (the Madman). I like words, I like the premise, and I liked the very start of the title, where the Madman murders an innocent bystander, someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
 Yet after that the "story" disappeared. I wanted more details on the people involved, and less historical data on word usage and the like. The story just never gripped me, as much as I hoped it would.