Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: Deadly dull

I cannot for the life of me understand how this thing ever found a publisher. The prose is flat and insipid; the characters unexciting and drab; the pace leaden. Reading this is slightly less exciting than watching paint dry. The author has done some historical research and can't just use it; where he pops in an historical detail he elbows you in the ribs to draw attention to his cleverness. I had a very hard time dragging myself to the end of this book (first one by Mallon I have read) and would not recommend it.