Pretty heavy reading, I didn't expect it from a novel based on a film I watched a million times during childhood. If you can keep all of the lands and peoples and everything great, it is great both as an alternate spin on an old classic and as a political satire. COMPLETELY different feel from the play, which I went to several years after and had to check back with the book to remind myself that I had read it right. Both are great and worth experiencing.If you want to ease into his stuff gradually, CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER is an easier read, and is very interesting in its own right. Happy reading everyone!