text: If some of these reviewers are looking for great literature: Learn Greek. I read this novel when it first came out in paperback in the early sixties. It has held up to the test of time as far as a novel goes. The sex and violence is not as new nor shocking as it was in those days. I think we have all become a bit jaded. Characters are well written, a novel to enjoy reading just for the sake of reading. A book that keeps your attention and moves right along.