A reader has reported finally completing Rebecca West's extensive work, 'Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia', this summer. The book, originally published in 1941, took an on-off effort of 10 years or more to finish.
Described as being roughly half a million words long, the paperback edition of the book weighs 1,271g. The reader compared the experience of tackling such a lengthy book to running a marathon, noting that the hard work is soon forgotten upon completion.
The reader highlighted specific passages from West's travelogue, including observations on cultural differences and a description of a Montenegrin chief of police.