Seriously,I am on the third read of this book is how fascinating it is.
346180
This has so much information I am on the third read of this book.

THIRD READ.

I am an initiate in the Lucumi religion for 18 years.  And this still taught me more.

Seriously, third read of this book is how fascinating it is.
2093329
This book continues to amaze me, for what it's worth, I'd gladly read and buy these books again if I went back in time.
1239179
I'm not kidding. I'm only halfway done reading this book, and I'm already rating it 5 stars. I can't pinpoint why, exactly, except that it's fantastically informative.
2178010
A unique perspective, continually spell-binding.
1319091
There are many fine reviews here already, so I'll just echo them in saying that the whole trilogy is one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. The author's story is incredible, and his enthusiasm for every aspect of the lands he traveled through: their history, their language, the clothing, the landscape, the religions, and on and on, is also amazing. Even if you're not initially interested in the medieval history of the Balkans, he somehow gets you enthused about it.

All the books are very good, but I strangely found this one easier to read than the others. He did not live to complete it, and he presumably spent less time editing it. I think that may be why the sentences are a little simpler and shorter (while no less evocative). For whatever reason, the pages turned faster in this volume. I also enjoyed the last section that is more or less verbatim of his journal during his hike through Mount Athos. It's not clear that he got that much out of visiting a dozen or so monasteries, but the depictions of the people and his hike itself were often fascinating.

We really should be grateful to NYRB for publishing this and so many other lost gems that otherwise we would likely never know about.
885297
I really do love reading something I know about and the reading adds to my knowledge and interest.  Thinking about them and real human beings draws me closer to God
1892496
I can say that this is an awesome book!  My perception has begun to change for the better after having read this work nearly three times.
4128616
So interesting and full of unexpected details
I savor this a few pages a night
3851630
I have read this series three times already and want to read it again. I always have to tear my eyes away from the pages. I have to remember that I have to pay attention to the real world I live in as well as this one. I am going insane wanting more books about the characters and their life.
250447
On of the most enlightening informative books I've ever read
2832843
I can't tell you how many dozens of time I have read this book.
3575469
This is the first book that i actually consider readin again i loved every second of it. I am in love with this triology
2951980
Read it, it's good about to finish the second one and as soon as I'm fine looking for the third. I'm hooked.
4808803
Writing a review while still reading the book is somewhat unusual, but I must say that I am loving this book. The language, the sentence structures, the heartfelt observations, and the historical period are all brilliant. I cannot praise this book highly enough. I am so incredibly glad that I stumbled upon it via reference to it in an article in the New York Times. LEAVES OF GRASS is beautiful, make no mistake, but I can honestly say that I am completely enamored with this book. I suspect I will continue to think about it long after I'm done reading it.
3527879
third reading of this wonderful fantasy series...
4883070
This is my 3rd time rereading this book and I've got to say, each time I turn to it, it offers something new to me. I do not think this is the simple story of Sylvia Plath and her descent into madness and depression. Although there are some biographical elements, there is more to it than that. This third time, I'm getting a societal critique (maybe gendered?) coming through the novel, but have yet to flesh it out. So I definitely suggest that you read it more than once, especially if (like me) all you got the first time was a confirmation of your own feelings. Reading this at 15 when I was in high school, I felt so affirmed and reliable in my feelings - I had depression and I was stubborn in that belief, cause LOOK so did Plath. The second round, at 18, I felt a much more sympathetic pull towards her but was also turned off by some of her actions. This third turn, in the height of college, I can't help but reflect my own feelings unto the character and see myself in Esther, but coming from an academic pov, I also can't help but see some of the more complex elements hidden deep within this book. Plath was an avid critique of the societal conventions of her time and spoke from a distinct "feminine" voice which is at play here and should not be overlooked.
150365
You have to get this book. The second of three and I can't wait to read the third book.