The Nature of Monsters

I finished this book last week, and have been pondering it ever since. I am not sure I really liked it. First of all it took me way too long to read, which is always the first sign that it is not for me (if I like a book, it will only take me a couple days to read) and second...it was just boring.
The characters were not likeable, so I did not really care what happened to them. And I spent half the book trying to figure out where the author was going.
The lead character gets knocked up and sent away to live/work for a crazy opium addicted apothecary. He was born with a birth defect, and has dedicated his life "work" to proving that it is the mothers fault when a baby is born with any defects (Crazy!!!) Anyway, the book is mostly about her trying to survive in this crazy household, and her protecting her roommate from the doctor when she just happens to get pregnant as well.
The author writes well enough, she is very descriptive in her writing, and the plot seems interesting enough. I just did not really care about this book, and I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
I have already started reading my next book (The Poisonwood Bible), it is interesting, but it is just taking me so long to get into. I have such a long long list of books I want to read, I hate wasting so much time on one book. I have been thinking of buying one of those Ebooks...does anyone have one? My Gramps raves about his and it seems like a cheaper way to get books (I am such a snob, I don't like to go to the library for books).