I absolutely adored this book and it ate my brain -- afterward, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters. I'm not even sure I agree with Byatt's position on the toll artistic genius takes on those around the genius (although certainly she's got a point that someone's got to do the washing up and wiping noses), but I found the characters and their lives completely compelling and engaging. Thematically, I think it's very much in dialog with the Fredericka books, although the history and the pastiche elements are reminiscent of Possession.

It helps that the book is set in one of my favorite periods, and it's one of my favorite styles of books (big sprawling epic stories about extended families of blood and choice) -- I did think it was a bit exposition heavy in places (and there were a few moments where Byatt's narration was overly intrusive), but overall, I think it's a masterpiece.