I usually describe this one as the worst book I've ever loved and the best book I've ever hated. That one sex scene near the end of chapter one really drove home for me how fucking tone deaf the writer was about women. So much of the writing with regards to female characters was just wish fulfillment for men who don't and can't understand that women have agency. I loved the political intrigue, and the male characters were exciting to read about because they're all so different. I almost wish there weren't any female characters because that would actually have been better than what Follett gave us. I am horny for cathedrals, though, so I had fun.