After reading all the (mostly rave) reviews for this book I thought I'd give it a try. It's been a while since I read it but I remember feeling as though it didn't stack up to all the hype surrounding it. It was definitely a good book, it just wasn't wonderful or mind-blowing for me. Some parts were a little hard to get through for the graphic, disturbing imagery, although I appreciate that Boyden didn't sugarcoat his subject matter. I found Niska's side of the story, about living off the land in the traditional Native way, interesting. As for Xavier's story... he was a real and well-developed character and I definitely felt compassion for him. And I was more and more sickened by Elijah as time went on. But all the details of the war didn't enthrall me. I guess that's just not a topic that interests me. One thing I remember clearly is that it wasn't one of those books where I had a hard time putting it down and couldn't wait to pick it up again. It wasn't an absorbing, page-turning read for me. It was good, but not great... not my cup of tea I guess.