What drew me in was the prose. It was lyrical, and quite gorgeous in places. I like that kind of writing. So it was easy for me to get through this. I also liked the theme of authoritarianism seeking to stamp out diversity and enforcing a 'right way' of speaking and doing things. There are places where the prose can be trimmed a little and the pace can be faster. But, all in all, I liked what I read.
There is a book that I read last year that deals with the issue of words seeking to combat intolerance--Salman Rushdie's Victory City. This extract reminded me of that book.