Been reading this for a minute now and the book is as good as others say . Keep in mind Marcus Aurelius has had quite the story to tell until building up to meditations is a little over a quarter of the book. The context is well established and it really does paint a picture of who Marcus Aurelius was as a leader warrior. What is thought process is. All the good stuff and a great buildup on understanding his stoic lifestyle. You won't be let down, especially if you're looking into understanding stoicism