I read it when it came out and at first I was bewildered, "Where is all the big magic and high fantasy?" But I was so impressed at how she wrote so beautifully, such a compelling take. Even quiet, nothing is happening scenes, such as cleaning, had a lyrical beauty I could not deny. I dropped my expectation bias then, when this epiphany hit me about half way, and decided it might not be my favorite book by her, but it was definitely the most beautifully written of all of them. Here was a master of her craft coming into her own. Confident, unworried, with breathtaking skill.