I just bought this book last week. I haven't read anything by her yet. I must say, it's an intimidating book to start.
Once you trudgeg through the first 100 depressing and repetitive pages, it picks up. Some of the soliloquys are HUGE, though, so be prepared. Personally, I think you can skim or skip the romantic scenes. They add nothing to the story and barely anything to the characters. They aren't terribly interesting, either.
Those critiques aside, it is a VERY good book. I believe it is typically third on the lists of the "most influential books in your life" polls.
Yes, it can be intimidating, but it's life changing. I haven't read it for quite some time - I'll have to brush the dust off of one of the copies that I own and read it again...