This book was certainly interesting. I knew little about this time period (early 1600s in France)so the historical details were fascinating--the life of a drama troupe or "circus" on the road, life in a small family-sponsored convent. Parts of it were somewhat unbelievable, but perhaps in those times people were less skeptical than we are now. For me the part set in the convent went pretty slowly. It was difficult to keep the nuns straight; if I were to offer any suggestion, it would be to keep a list of players! It was surprising to me, because "convent books" are a sub-genre I've enjoyed very much over the years. The final big scene made up for all the slow pages--it was like something straight out of Dan Brown! Very exciting, and hard to predict an outcome. Joanne Harris' writing is excellent--very sensual, in every sense of the word. At our club, opinions varied widely. Some didn't make it past the first page; others found it hard to put down. There were definitely things to discuss, from the history of the time, to how these old convents were set up, to the relationship between the protagonist and her sometimes villainous lover. I'm not sorry to have read it!