[karaterobot]

Yeah, I think his dismissal of the book in the article is pretty typical of people's approach before they read it:

> I’m simply not sure I have the will to face 839 pages of cowboys by an author I don’t know.

I don't blame him, I was the same way, but that book subverts expectations in the best possible way. The reason it won a Pulitzer despite having the baggage of being a "cowboy book" in the world of literary novels was because it's an undeniable artistic achievement, full stop. Part of that achievement is sustaining its effect throughout an epic length. In other words, the page count is a feature rather than a bug.