I liked it, but I DO think that it over hyped. I think I would have read dispite the hype. I think I liked it mostly because I have a personal interest in art history whereas I think the normal person finds it very boring...

My flatmate has the fully illustrated version of this book which is awesome. It always helps to have the images in front of you. I'm sure if you weren't familiar with all the paintings and architecture, it might just fly over your head.