To fully enjoy this book a reader needs to be aware of many other
sources. From Dickens, to William Blake, to the Qu'ran, the more
widely you have read the more of this book you will enjoy.
That is not to say that it is not worth reading unless you have
read the Qu'ran etc, but a good working knowledge of world
religions and western literature will aid in the enjoyment of this
book.
Like I said in my title, not a terribly exciting read, as it was
slowly paced, and not always moving in a linear fashion. In spite
of all this it was a well written book with interesting characters,
so well worth a read.