This book took me longer than most to get through. It's beautifully written, but more lyrical and abstract than prosaic. The abstract style blends well with Marguerite's mental decline and confusing atmosphere of the story, but it made certain parts difficult to get through.
The story was interesting and I enjoyed the parallels between Marguerite's mental decline and the psyche of Louise Lateau (a 19th century mystic with stigmata), but all in all it was a bit too verbose for my liking.