Loved this book. I'm not usually interested in historical fiction as it can be quite dull depending on the author, but David Mitchell really makes the genre intriguing and pulls you in from the first chapter. Great characters, a picturesque setting, and excellent writing that is true to the period each make this book a truly enjoyable read. I will recommend this book to everyone I know and it will be re-read. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is one of my favorite books in quite a long time.

During the first section I began to fear that the story was devolving into a trashy forbidden-romance novel, but Mitchell had other designs and the novel turned out to be a beauty. I really dug his lyrical prose style and am looking forward to reading a few more of his works.

layered. lyrical. atmospheric. immersive. interesting juxtaposition of grit and graft and orderly tradition. a beautiful and beautifully written historic novel.