Outrageous exaggeration of each character's overriding personality trait, repetition of each character's keywords and actions, and the florid verbose articulation of Ignatius all combine to make a somewhat wordy and drawn-out book. It is episodic and many of the characters do not meet or seem connected; but as previously noted, the author is in control enough to tie all together as every incident eventually contributes to the outcome, leaving no loose ends.