Many thanks Eric! I see that we have cross-posted but I am chuckling heartily at the phrases, . . . soporific plot, . . . deliberate purple passages, and . . . literary kitsch. I like them!
There is definitely arguable merit in those descriptions and I would never deny that supporting evidence can be found in the book. Nevertheless I might add that it was absorbing overall and I never dreamed of giving it up once I started. I should probably have confessed earlier that I like slow novels, and will often read as much for the words as for the plot.
Purple? Maybe, but perhaps brilliant purple!