You didn't get a response, so I thought I'd answer you. It is a very boring book at first, and indeed, most of the way through, but there is some more interesting stuff beyond the college chapters. Don't let the random ramblings of the Thropp family through you off, because the foreshadowing is to be expected. It's just one of those books with too much information shoved into the pages to fully comprehend all at once. I suggest you read it once the whole way through, even if you skip over long paragraphs to find out the important things, then come back to it later with a basic understanding of the plot points.
The book was, for me, far more interesting the second time around.
