Personally I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series, but they are both fairly slow going in ways, but as the story develops I found you get much more into it, albeit it does take a looong time from what some people told me of their experiences, but if you can make it to the end of the second book I found it very much worthwhile as it took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.If you enjoyed the film I feel you'll like the books, however I despised the film as it took out easily a quarter, maybe up to a half of the book and so really simpled it down to a typical rendition of a book nowadays, where masses of the essential plot is hacksawed out - but that's just me rambling and repeatedly throwing my two cents in your face. However I'd take this reccomendation with a pinch of salt, as I read them when I was fairly young, and It was the first book of it's type I really came into contact with, so I had (and still have) nothing to compare it with. I plan to reread the series again, so I'll have to re-paint my perspective once it's done and dusted.
cheers,
Hublander.