This is one of the best books I've ever read. The writing is pristine and the way Berry unlayers her story, revealing one truth after another is astonishingly beautiful. I could not put this book down and think it's best read (as most books are), quickly, and in this instance, reread. Judith is a great protagonist and the author tells the story so cleverly that as soon as you think you've got a handle on why Jusith does what she does, you find out more and it changes things. It's a book about love, and prejudice, conformity and fear. Although it's set - seemingly around late 1600s, it's also oddly timeless- or at least it was for me.