The bookcase is beautiful. I put it in a corner with windows on both sides, and it looks great! The cherry finish is darker than the picture depicts and is not an overly cherry color. The shelves themselves looked like particle board wrapped with a thick veneer. Assembly was really easy - I did it alone with one screwdriver in under 2 hours (I am a relatively handy woman). It might help to have a power drill when stacking the 2 pieces together. The assembly instructions make it look harder than it really is.