The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
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Book Reviews of The Historian
Book Review: The Historian
Summary: 5 Stars
I bougth it for my son in law, and he said it.s a very good book. I didn't have time to read yet.Book Review: Almost a 5!
Summary: 4 Stars
The Historian, for all it's faults, is very hard to put down. Elizabeth Kostova does a great job bringing the legend of Vlad Dracula back with a new twist. Clearly, alot of research and scholarship went into this book, and is basically, in my view, a thinking persons DaVinci Code. Is it not destined to be in the Great English Literature Canons, but is informative and fun nonetheless.
I see no reason to summarize the book, as many have done before, so I will simply comment on what I did and did not like about this book.
What I did like is that it is obviously written by a scholar and a book lover. The language Kostova uses brings her story to life is lush and inviting, so much so that even the most mundane things take on a life of their own. Her characters (the number of which I gives the story depth, but also makes the story hard to follow at times) are exquisitely drawn. Personally, when I can imagine the characters in my minds eye so vividly (even when the book is long finished) that it is like a movie, I know the author is doing a good job.
Also, her vocabulary is to be commended. Perspicacity? Imperious? In a time where authors seem to write at a 5th grade level in an appeal to the masses, this is nice to see.
What is also worth noting is that you are given insight into a lot of far eastern European history, in a away that not only made me search out further information on the subject, but had me dreaming about taking a vacation to romantic, mysterious Bulgaria.
Finally, I really enjoyed the fact that the academics in this book seemed to behave in the manner I would expect academics to act. They were curious even in the face of Dracula, asking questions that I would have had to ask out of sheer curiosity, instead of running away in predictable abject terror.
Now for my complaints. Like many of the one starred reviews, this book does indeed require you to suspend belief in a few things. Things just seem to happen at the right time, and far too conveniently. People often just "happen" to be at the right place at the right time. Not to mention , often the characters make connections between two things that in real life, would be very hard to connect with what little information you are given.
My other issue is that most of the action happens within the last 100 pages (maybe less) of what is an almost 700 page book. While I didn't necessarily find the first part of the book to be boring, it's almost as if editors were like, ok you've gone on long enough, time to wrap it up. It just seemed to be hurried at the end and clearly some things could have been taken out from the beginning to make things more even.
All in all, a 4 star for what it accomplishes and what it teaches you. I would find it hard to believe any reader interested in history and mystery, who respects lush writing, would hate this book. Personally, I would tend to believe most of the one star reviews are written by people who are either too stupid to understand the depth, or too snobby about their literature to admit that this is an entertaining book.
Book Review: Perfect for Students of History or Literature
Summary: 4 Stars
As a university student about to return to classes in a few weeks, I found an enthusiasm for this very scholarly novel, which I ultimately needed. The main problem with this book is that is stays true to the nature of historical research: searching through libraries with painstaking care, reading ancient texts, puzzling through inconsistencies. This is detective work at its finest, but even my study-starved mind became a little impatient at all the studying required to solve the mystery of Dracula.
Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way Kostova weaves her way through time, from stories from ancient Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, to the fevered investigations spanning two generations in the 20th century. Secrets long buried in history are constantly being revealed and there's a twist in almost every chapter. Kostova is also adept at bringing the environment in which these incredible events take place beautifully to life. I almost felt as if I were traveling through the streets of Istanbul and the countryside of Romania. Kostova also brings this intensity to her storytelling. It was at one moment incredibly frightening, and at another moment so moving it brought tears to my eyes.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, including the history of Dracula. The Historian is a wonderful and cerebral twist on the traditional Dracula legend.
Book Review: Angieville: THE HISTORIAN
Summary: 4 Stars
Clocking in at over 700 pages, this doorstopper has no right to be anywhere near as entertaining as it is. But it is so entertaining. Kostova knows how to pace a tale so that her faithful reader never tires or wavers in her interest to see what happens next. I thought for sure I'd bog down somewhere in the middle and have to press on through but I never did. There were points where I stopped to marvel in bewilderment, "How many layers deep is the narrative running now? 4? 5? And yet I can't put it down!" This followed by a smile of intense satisfaction and more fevered page-turning. The story follows an unnamed narrator who recounts for her reader the decidedly unfortunate and increasingly bone-chilling events surrounding the finding of a medieval book, empty but for a rough image of a dragon and the single word "DRAKULYA." And, just like that, the hunt is ON. Kostova's characters are easy to empathize with and she handles scenes of great tension and layered emotion with a deft hand. Highly recommended.Book Review: More about the history than the story
Summary: 4 Stars
Not a bad book if you like the old school vampire type of story. There are parts where it goes so deeply into the history of the vampire that you start to lose track of the story line. This is one of the few books where I actually skipped parts. The sad thing is I don't think I missed a thing by skipping 10 or more pages where it got very detailed.
The descriptions of the foreign cities painted a brilliant picture and make the reader wish they were there - minus the vampires.