Well written, but the characters left me cold. 3.5/5 
 I can understand what all the fuss is about. The book is well-researched, well-written and does an excellent job of evoking locations and the historical period. The descriptions of nature were particularly effective and I thought some of the descriptions of the Essex marshes were the among the best passages in the book. 
 However, I'm sorry to say I didn't look forward to returning to the story every evening. I think this was because I didn't warm to any of the characters even though they were an interesting group. 
 So overall, I can appreciate that this book is worthy of all the praise it's received, but it's not one I'd choose to read again.