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What are readers saying about The Historian?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-21 12:36:12.
(Language: English)
  
An elegantly written, low action vampire story, The Historian deals mainly with the story of a PhD student in history in the 1950s whose supervisor mysteriously disappears one night. The student's search for his lost professor leads him and his supervisor's daughter to Turkey, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Although very long at just over 700 pages, the book manages to maintain a tension and a sense of brooding menace over its entire length. This is definitely not a book for action buffs, however, as very little actually happens during the novel. Descriptions of the various settings are masterfully handled and there are several memorable characters, but somehow I struggled to get to the end. The book is just too long, and the plot never builds towards anything in particular. The characters move from one elegant and exotic location to another, always with the sense that they are being watched by vampiric forces, but ultimately even the enchanting writing style isn't enough to hold the reader's attention. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-17 03:19:14.
(Language: English)
I must say that when I decided to read this book I didn't realize that it would be the longest book I have read. It was a challenge to read but I enjoyed every part of it. Of course I picked the book up about a month before finals so it took me about 3 months to finish. With great excitement I can say that I finished the Historian. I really loved this book. Most of the book takes place in France, Hungary, Istanbul, New York and Bulgaria. It takes you all over the world and back! If you have a passion for history or the infamous Dracula you will love this book. The way Kostova describes certain architecture was amazing. It took the author ten years to write it and I can see why. As a reader I felt like I was visiting these places with every turn of the page. I'm proud to say I finished this book and would recommend it to anybody who wants a real challenge in life. I can't wait for her next book whenever that time may come.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-18 08:47:22.
(Language: English)
As a fan of historical novels, I liked the book well enough. It was tastefully written but by no means the greatest thing I've ever read. I enjoyed the respite from the vulgarities common to most contemporary literature and found the supernatural aspect surprisingly credible in context. But while the book is entertaining - suspenseful, constructed in such a way that no chapter ends lightly - it begins to drag a bit halfway through. Were 700 pages really necessary? Additionally, the book has little substance other than the aforementioned suspenseful plot and admittedly interesting subject matter; the message is nearly buried beneath the somewhat excessive plot twists. The ending, moreover, is rather unnatural and unsatisfactory (a bit soap-opera-ish), appearing to be hastily thrown together for the mere sake of ending the tale; old characters randomly reappear, and it simply feels too neat. I did, however, really like the emphasis on tangible dangers, the real-life hate group in contrast to the old castle, suggesting that human evil is far more dangerous than the supernatural. In short, a decent if not amazingly enlightening read. Recommended if you have lots of time to kill.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-02 12:22:54.
(Language: English)
The Historian is - big surprise - a history-based fiction novel behind Vlad the Impaler, the 15th century Romain prince that the story of Dracula is based on. Though the story and characters are fictional, there is a LOT of history pumped into this novel. In fact, there's probably more than what's needed to fuel the story, but it is interesting to learn the story behind Vlad. I struggled quite a bit when trying to determine what star review to give it. The story is decent enough. I appreciate that there are three different time lines to follow. Though other reviewers found it somewhat confusing, I found it easy enough to follow. What really bugged me about the novel, though, was the prose. I like it, don't get me wrong, but there are three different narrators, and they all speak in the same exact prose. Also, the letters written by the main narrator's father are much too long to be believable and contain much more vivid detail than anyone would possible put into a written letter. Other than that, I really enjoyed the large doses of history injected into the novel. And the story itself was decent enough.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-20 09:12:14.
(Language: English)
Elizabeth Kostova has created an extremely interesting work. She deftly blends established historical fact and creative imaginings into one whole, demonstrating the manner in which many historians, anthropologists and sociologists conduct their researches; her tale stands as an apt example of the way in which various disciplines combine to piece together the cultural past of the human race. The book is also chock-full of wonderful descriptions of the food, customs, people, geography and history of multiple locations in Europe, a plus for anyone who has yet to see these locations with their own eyes. Those searching for lurid tales of vampiric activity might be disappointed, as Kostova's book keeps horrorific elements to a minimum; Kostova herself claims she "dislike[s] horror for the sake of titillation." This tale, then, is not strictly the backstory of the greatest vampire in popular culture. Instead, the book reads like an extraordinary tale of cat-and-mouse, a hunt for clues through the labyrinthine passageways of history to the identity of one of the most popular cult characters in history. This reader found it immensely satisfying; it's everything The Da Vinci Code tries to be, but Kostova is a far superior writer to Dan Brown and she is capable of conducting multiple narratives at one time, jumping through time and space so that the reader feels as involved with the events as her primary narrating characters. "Reader, unbury him with a word."
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-08 03:16:12.
(Language: English)
This is an updated viersion of the Bram Stoker Dracula story and like Bram Stoker it is really interesting and chilling and nothing like the movies - which are crap. I have not finished it yet but am enjoying it a lot. Her descriptions of the Adriatic and other European locations are superb and there is always that air of menace. She uses a teenage narrator who is researching into some papers her father has on the location of Dracula's tomb. Her father's mentor/lecturer at university disappeared while doing similar research so you are expecting something horrible to happen. Keeps you turning those many pages!!! I enjoyed most of the story very much and it was chilling in parts: wonderful description too. however the last quarter of it the tempo slackened. All fans of historical novels with a fascination witht he macabre witll like it though I loved the book most of the way through but I found the last quarter of it disappointing. Anyone who loves historical books with a chill and /or vompire books should read it though.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-11 02:47:16.
(Language: English)
I hope Twilight fans read this and geddit. This is what vamp lore's about. What an entertaining, horrifying read. I could not get through more than twenty pages at one go, because Kostova keeps cranking it up and it was such a satisfying scary odessey into darkness. What's so impresssive about Kostova is that she just reined me in, page after page, with deft sinister touches that threw me off, made me gasp and sit up slack-jawed and wild-eyed clutching my pillow. Skillfully narrated from alternating perspectives of fathers and daughters, this journey backwards and forwards through time as we hunt down Vlad the Impaler is refreshingly terrifying and and tender in its treatment of families and lovers. Historically, it packs quite a punch and I truly felt as if I had trawled the musty libaries of Eastern Europe. My only grouse - a rather letdown and kind of slippery climax that doesnt do justice to the beautifully set-up storylines.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-17 05:19:02.
(Language: English)
My dear fellow readers: I have found this novel is not for the "Twilight" readers, for it is too serious for them to follow. Despite, I regretfully found the ending might appealed more to them for it's lack of depth and details as I expected. However, with smile I have to say, it is indeed an awesome book to read. Kostova deliver the story in a unique narrative way through well-crafted plots about a popular theme with its most popular character ever. Altogether with, a celebration of well researched history. I warned you all fellow readers, you never know "where you going", and "what going to happen" every time you turn the page. For this time, since Bram Stoker, you will know him better than you use to know. For this time, you dare enough to say the word, “begin” after his name and for this time, he is not being exploited because of his name is… Dracula. Yours in profoundest joy. Elvin Kustaman
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-25 09:43:10.
(Language: English)
I absolutely loved this book. The story of Dracula is obviously a important aspect, but in Kostova's book it is placed in the background for a majority of the time, where she instead turns her focus on reality. It is interesting how the obligatory supernatural element is minimized, and instead we learn the history of communist and socialist states in the modern era. Russia, post Stalin, and all her surrounding areas is in shambles and the citizens are terrified of their governments as well as old folklore. The parallel of Stalin and Vlad Dracul is quite interesting. The fears of the citizenry fearing both is stunning. At times I was a afraid that Kostova would fall into Dan Brown territory, but she never did. There was never a betrayal of the story to cold facts. Instead, they are mingled into journal entries and back-story that was actually somewhat reminiscent of Bram Stoker, albeit with greater talent.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-29 09:48:28.
(Language: English)
Okay, so this book is very detailed, which can get tedious at times, but it is (seemingly) very well researched and the story is interesting. The problem is that I felt it was anti-climactic. If you've seen/read/heard things about Dracula before, you know that no matter how many times you kill him, "he always comes back." This book wasn't any different. WARNING! The rest of this is spoilers so you might not want to read any further!! My biggest problem with the book, and it gets bigger in my mind the more I think about it, is the whole Dracula thing. He was all scary and spooky in theory as the characters were researching him, but then we meet him and find out that he is so diabolically evil that he's.... collecting books? And his grand master dark plan is to plant books he's made in an attempt to lure a scholar to him capable of... cataloging his library? WTF? Is it me or should the original master of all things dark and doomy-gloomy be up to something a bit more evil and dramatic than collecting books? If that's all he's been doing for five hundred years, why did he want to live forever in the first place? Overall, the ending was just a big let down.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-30 08:15:20.
(Language: English)
I know this is a vampire novel but just because it's fantasy doesn't give you free reign to be completely unbelievable. There's no intricate plot here at all. The main character moves forward in his quest out of pure dumb luck. For example, 3-4 characters that majorly help him along in the journey (and are experts on the subject he is exploring) are ones he *just happens* to meet. Also, I agree with an earlier reviewer who said it's totally crazy to believe that a father, who was trying to get across as much information to his daughter as possible in a short amount of time, would waste words on describing the scenary down to every minute detail. He pretty much wrote her the entire novel! Did she have to carry around a giant stack of papers while she was reading his "letter" to her? The last straw was when Dracula - prince of darkness, perpetrator of unspeakable evils for centuries and centuries - reveals his master plan: *SPOILER ALERT* - - - - You have been brought here to.... organize my library!!!!! MWAHAHAHA! - - - - - - Ugh, one star.
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Goele posted a review at 2009-09-18 03:04:12.
(Language: Dutch)
Na het lezen van de weinig onthullende flaptekst wilde ik toch wel eens weten of ‘De historicus’ echt zo’n goed boek was als de geruchten, die ik opgevangen had, beweerden. Al na de eerste bladzijde was ik overtuigd. Toegegeven, dit soort griezel is eigenlijk helemaal niet aan mij besteed, maar ik was zo nieuwsgierig naar de ontknoping dat ik me met vreugde door de spannende en bloederige momenten worstelde. Verhalen uit drie verschillende generaties worden op briljante wijze aan elkaar geknoopt. Bovendien krijgen we een interessant overzicht van de geschiedenis van het vroegere Joegoslavië, iets waar jeugdige of jong volwassen lezers als mezelf veel te weinig over weten. Uitstekend onderzoekswerk van deze getalenteerde schrijfster dus. Kostova’s boeiende manier van schrijven maakt dat je het boek gewoon niet kunt opzij leggen vooraleer je het einde bereikt hebt.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-26 05:50:21.
(Language: English)
It is very hard to get it correct the first time, and according to the reviews first time author Elizabeth Kostova did just that. Her novel is the heir to Bram Stocker's famous Dracula, except this time it is a group of historians over approximately 80 years who are searching for the world's most famous vampire. The interesting thing about this book is that the author manages to tell the entire story through the first person narrative of multiple characters. The protagonist and narrator is the primary storyteller, but she uses letters and notes to fill in details from other characters, which is in my opinion a nice touch. The book is a bit long but very slow and detailed; Kostova realizes that her story can be a touch complex and goes out of her way to make sure the reader understands each detail. The characters are a bit flat, but the writing is good enough that you find yourself rooting for (some of) them. And the plot is interesting but at the end I was left questioning the central thesis behind the action (which you cannot give away without giving away the plot). A good summer read with those who have time to read a longer book, and a good first entry into the fiction field from Kostova.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-30 02:35:00.
(Language: English)
"The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova: A vampire story. Specifically, a story about Dracula - Count Drakulya; Vlad III; Vlad Tepes; Vlad the Impaler; 15th century Wallachian prince; Turk-slayer; sworn enemy of Sultan Mehmet II. Legends abound of the atrocities committed by Vlad Tepes - impaling his enemies alive, torturing them, drinking their blood - but is there a much darker, more evil truth behind the tales? Did Vlad Tepes make some pact with the devil and assume the immortal blessing and curse of the vampire? Does he still lurk in the catacombs and tombs of the world, hiding from the sunlight by day and coming out at night to slake his sanguinary thirst and expand the ranks of his army of undead? The novel opens as a memoir of the author, a woman reflecting on the events of her life several decades prior to her committing them to paper. She begins her reflection as a sixteen year-old girl - rather naive and bookish, with a healthy sense of curiosity. Her father is a history professor, and she learns a great deal from him. She often travels with him abroad, to Europe, and at a young age she's acquired a great deal of worldly knowledge. One day she is looking through his extensive library and she comes across a strange collection of letters, notes and an aged book. She opens the book; every page is blank but for the two in the center, which display a large picture of a dragon, with the single word, "Dracula" printed below the image. She asks her father about the book and he reluctantly begins to tell her his part in the Dracula tale. His story goes back to when he was a grad student, and how he learned from his advisor of the possibility that Dracula was "alive" and well, spreading his evil throughout the world. The novel is very much an epistolary one, as we learn through letters from the father's professor, then the father, and then the girl's mother (who disappeared from the girl's life when she was very young). The bulk of the novel takes place in Cold War Europe, on the wrong side of the Steel Curtain. The setting is a fantastic one - the cold, dreary, impersonal imperialism of Red Fascism acting as a gloomy backdrop to the historians' hunt for Dracula, himself a relic of centuries past. The novel is, on the whole, engaging and interesting, putting a somewhat scholarly twist on a topic about which much has been written. Kostova is skilled at evoking the various feels of her esoteric European locations, from a monastery in France to a forgotten library in Istanbul. Some unanswered questions arose (plot points, etc.), which annoyed me, but it is an enjoyable novel, and I definitely recommend it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-02 02:55:38.
(Language: English)
When you see a book has 236 + one star reviews (check out Amazon.com), think twice about buying it. I don't think The Historian deserves one star, but I certainly don't believe it deserves more than two. Regardless of the disorganized mess that somehow became a published novel, Mrs Kostova has a way of beautifully bringing to life far away and exotic places. Unfortunately, this is all the book delivers. I tried, but this book just didn't make any sense to me. None of it. How did Turgot dispose of Mr Erozan's body? He just said he knew a doctor who could take care of it. How did that happen? Professor Rossi fell in love with Helen's mother in two days? In the middle of hunting down Vlad the Impaler Paul decides Helen is his soulmate? First Paul describes Helen as ugly, then suddenly she looks like a princess? Oh, and speaking of Helen, what is up with that girl and gloves?! Constantly, she is either putting on gloves, smoothing her gloves, or Paul is watching her glancing at her gloves. I lost count of how many times Helen's gloves were mentioned! The Historian would have been a much better read if there had only been one narrator. The constant shuffle of narrators (and countries) was confusing and annoying. At times, Paul is narrating through letters, then his daughter suddenly begins narrating. The author doesn't even bother to divide the narrators into different chapters. One minute you are reading a letter from Rossi to Paul, then a letter to the daughter from Paul. At one point Paul was narrating for a chapter and a half when all of a sudden the author stops to say the daughter had boarded a train. That's it - just one sentence to announce the girl is on a train. The worst part of the book is the ending. ***Spoiler Alert*** After reading through 642 pages of cardboard characters looking for a tomb of a fifteenth century vampire through endless medieval maps, manuscripts and remote monasteries, the readers learn Dracula is using his immortality to hire himself a historian who will catalogue his book collection. Seriously, don't waste your time on this book. I literally had to skip some chapters just to get through it - such as the Zacharaias Chronicle chapter. I don't know what all that was about, and I'm not sure the author even knows. She certainly doesn't know much about British history. On page 157, she says Edward III endowed a building at Oxford University in the thirteenth century. Edward III was born in 1312 and reigned from 1327 to 1377. For a book entitled The Historian, that truly was a blunder of epic proportions. I'm so glad I only payed $3.00 for this book - even then I feel robbed.
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Agnieszka posted a review at 2010-07-28 12:42:32.
(Language: English)
A young girl discovers a sheaf of intriguing papers in her father's library. Grudgingly, he reveals the story of the books and letters, which leads them both on a search for Vlad Ţepeş, the historical figure who gave rise to the legend of Dracula. Their journey spans decades of family history and takes them from America to England, Istanbul and Eastern Europe. A book that starts off well, builds up a great deal of expectation, then fizzles out to culminate in an anticlimactic, utterly unsatisfying ending. The vivid imagery and fascinating historical facts do not begin to make up for the loose plot, mostly two-dimensional characters and complete flop of an ending. Give it a try but don't bother struggling to the end. Someone give me back the 25 hours I wasted listening to the audiobook!
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-28 06:54:08.
(Language: English)
Oh God, where to start on this one? It's not that I don't like commercial fiction. Or dense fiction. Or genre fiction. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was amazing. This book, however, was not. Was there an upside to the nearly 700 pages? Well, I'd like to visit Turkey now. Other than that, not really. First of all, a large chunk of this book is written in letter form. As in, a Father, in a rush, wrote his daughter a several hundred page letter. Okay, I suppose I'll suspend my disbelief for that one. This gigantic and improbable letter also includes several letters within it. So in this rush, the Father had time to recount other letters he'd read/received a few decades past and could recount them with amazing accuracy. Now, while still in this rush, the letters also include an abundance of redundant, mundane information, like say: what the characters had for breakfast or the material used on certain pillows, curtains, etc, and, my very favorite, useless dialogue that is told as if it were happening at that very moment (I personally would have trouble putting together, word for word, something I'd said yesterday). All of this wouldn't matter so much if the story wasn't so outlandish and predictable. Really, you happen to hunt vampires as well...you don't say?! This sort of scene happens throughout the book, over and over again. I expected something more from a writer out of Michigan's program. Don't waste your time on this crap.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-04 06:06:48.
(Language: English)
“To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history†(pg. xvi). The Historian is an intriguing 676-page novel by Elizabeth Kostova. Paul, a historian, has a deep fascination with vampires, and a strong devotion to his professor. Paul travels “in search of his beloved mentor and his mentor’s own history†(pg. xv), as well as Vlad Dracula’s tomb, and his dearly loved wife, Helen. On his journey through Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe, Paul encounters vampires, and the myths, legends and facts that surround them, which eventually leads him to the location of his mentor and the tomb. The Historian, which is told from several different points of view, is full of incredible imagery and powerful theme. It also has similarities to other texts I have read as well as my own personal experiences. With a twist of historical fiction, adventure, mystery and a touch of romance, The Historian is definitely my all-time favourite novel! It is a thrilling, late-night page-turner for readers of all interests. This novel is written entirely in first person narration, however is told by many different characters. The beginning is narrated by Paul’s daughter, whose name we do not know. She explains how, late one night when she was exploring her father’s library, she finds an ancient book filled with a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor,†(pg. 5), and are written by Paul’s mentor, Bartholomew Rossi. The next part of the story is told by Rossi through his letters, followed by Paul, as he begins to tell his daughter his remarkable story. Before he finishes, however, he is “called away on some new business†(pg. 175). Shortly after, his daughter finds more of his letters, addressed to her, that say, “My dear daughter…if you are reading this, forgive me. I have gone to look for your mother†(pg. 182). Much of the rising action is told by Paul through letters to his daughter; as she reads them, she plunges into a world she couldn’t ever have dreamed of. Her life becomes a labyrinth of untold secrets that slowly start to unfold, where she learns of her father’s past and her mother’s unexplained fate. This all connects to an unimaginable evil hidden in the depths of history and intertwined with the mystery of Dracula. Within these letters, Paul has written down stories and letters told or given to him by friends. These parts, therefore, are told from the points of view of yet more characters, and they include Turgut, Paul’s Turkish friend, Helen’s mother, Aunt Eva, and many others. Helen also writes a few, extremely short letters to her daughter. I feel that Kostova’s technique of switching points of view is effective and creative. Unlike other novels, changes in the point of view aren’t distinguished by sections or chapters. Kostova uses different methods of narration for different characters. Rossi always narrates via letters addressed to no one specific; whoever finds them, reads them. (Although this always turns out to be Paul.) Paul narrates through stories he tells to his daughter, both verbally and through letters. There are also letters and stories told to him by other people, which he keeps track of and includes in his letters. Helen also narrates a short section of the book, through a few short letters to her daughter. This method is effective as it helps the reader understand the thoughts of each of the numerous characters. The Historian also has many different storylines and plots to follow all at once; however Kostova’s method of narration helps the reader stay focused and prevents the story from becoming confusing. The frequent change of narrators, each with their own distinctive voice, engages the reader’s interest throughout the novel.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-16 08:16:22.
(Language: English)
wow, this book was terrible. i read it because i'm on a quest to read all of the unread books on my shelves, and i have a slight problem where once i start a book, i will not stop, almost without exception, even if they are this bad. seriously, this book is not good. i have a soft spot for historical fiction, so i'm thinking, ok, maybe i will like it? no. the characters bop around from place to place so quickly that i can't even keep track of where they are. i don't like fantasy at all, or vampires, so that pretty much ruled out this book, but as i said above, once i open a book, i'm committed. plus, 700 pages? you've got to be kidding me. there might have been enough plot for 700 pages if kostova had actually told the story instead of using every possible literary device known to (wo)man to tell the story: letters, stories about letters, diaries, etc. come on! just tell the stinking story already. anyway, i have nothing really nice to say about the book, except that, well, the ending was, ok? i guess? if you like that kind of ending? i won't spoil it. just avoid the book. oh, one more thing- if you like fast reads, and that's what you're looking for, this book also sucks, because it weighs, seriously, like 10 pounds. who wants to carry a 10 pound book around in their bag, while they're waiting for the bus, on the airplane, etc? not me. yuck. skip it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-31 05:45:19.
(Language: English)
Set across 4 different time periods - the 1930's, 1950's, 1973, and the narrator's "present day" 2005, The Historian is an intriguing novel that tells the interweaving stories of the narrator as a young girl on a quest to find her father who has disappeared, guided by her father's notes on his own search for a much beloved professor and mentor; and the professor's own journey to unravel the dark secret of Vlad the III (aka Vlad the Impaler, Dracula). The novel is a modern re-telling of the Dracula story, reaching through the past 5 centuries to the life and history of Vlad the Impaler, delving deeply into the nature of history and its relevance to today's world. The story is presented as a first-person account written in 2005, although the narrator (who remains nameless throughout) first starts her adventures as a sixteen year old in 1972. The entire story is told through letters, excerpts from books and academic literature, and the narrator's reconstruction of stories told to her by her father. Details of the plot and of Dracula's nature, motives, and history are slowly revealed across numerous settings throughout Europe.Overall it's a good read. I particularly enjoyed the historical element of the story - the details about the life and death of Vlad the III, the clash of civilizations between the Christian Byzantine Empire and the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-15 07:59:38.
(Language: English)
So to be quite honest, I only picked this book up because I was in a hurry at Barnes and Noble, and I wanted to pick the longest book I could find at the cheapest price, so I could have something that was sure to last me through the doldrums of the dead weeks following AP testing. Despite my hastiness in choosing to read this book, I actually did read all six hundred and something pages of it. While it started off interestingly enough, with a young girl slowly discovering her foreign ambassador father's past through a mysterious dragon book and through his old letters, needless to say, the plot started to drag somewhere around page 300 or so. Or wherever it was that the author somewhat randomly decided to insert her 100-page college dissertation on the migration of Eastern European monks. So basically, the book starts out being pretty interesting. And then the presentation just drags and eventually falls flat on its face, with multiple storylines intertwining yet never leading to anything really substantial in terms of a satisfying conclusion, and the original narrator almost is cut out of the plot entirely by the end. If you want a very long, very well researched, and very precisely written novel to read over the summer, "The Historian" is your book. If you want something with a plot that moves slightly faster than a constipated tortoise and is not quite so verbose and dry, then perhaps you should read something else.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-16 02:39:29.
(Language: English)
Half way through this one and it is like a carrot and stick. I keep waiting for something really gruesome to happen, something really juicy. Picked it up in the library and was sold when I saw Vlad the Impaler mentioned on the back cover. Wanted to get an indepth view of this character. Instead it is all letters and second hand narrations. A bit bewildering that somebody would put so much down in a bunch of letters. Nobody writes like that. Another annoying thing is that she doesn't change the style of writing from character to character. And so far only a whiff of a vampire. I can't figure out how they all seem to believe in vampires on such scant evidence. OOh Vlad the Impaler is still alive lets go find him. Huh? And then the way they all bump into one another seems a bit dodgy, with Helen in the library and Turgut in Istambul, Rossi and the narrator's father. What are the odds? Hopefully we will meet a nice fully fledged vampire or two who will wipe out all the main characters. I want Bela Lugosi not a bunch of academics. Well I have to finish it
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-17 06:25:34.
(Language: English)
The reason I am giving this book five stars is because I personally believe it to be the best read I have had for 2007 (although the book was first published in 2005 to much fanfare with the media calling it “The Dracula Codeâ€) and it now definitely resides comfortably in my top ten books of all time. I approached this book with a bit of trepidation as it included my least favorite subject topic: Vampires (Anne Rice has done them to death). What did grab my attention though was that the book focused on Dracula (the original vampire). Having loved Bram Stokers original version as a child and the subsequent Francis Ford Coppolla film which came out in 1992, I knew I was in for a treat. As a spirited update on the original classic, The Historian hits all the right notes, soaring even past Stokers classic in my opinion. The story focuses on a young girl who while searching her fathers library comes across and old leather bound book and a stash of yellowing letters. This discovery plunges her into a race to save her father and mother from an evil hidden in the depths of history. It seems Dracula never did die in the 15th century and as past and present collide he seems to have developed a penchant for librarians. The book spans most of Eastern Europe and is told through three interlocking perspectives at three different intervals in the last century plus filled with countless flashbacks to the fifteenth century when Vlad Tepes (“Vlad The Impalerâ€) brutally ruled Transylvania. As a travelogue, never before has Eastern Europe come so vividly alive. This is not a formulaic horror entry...its far too subtle and clever and therefore I should imagine that most people looking for cheap thrills and punctured jugulars will come away very disappointed although Kostova does know how to ratchet up the suspense when required. While some may balk at the ending, I thought it brilliant and fitting. Definitely a worthy entry for any book collection. Note: This book will appeal probably more to those you normally do not read from this genre opposed to the vampire genre nut. As a bit of Trivia the book stayed at number one on the NEW YORK BESTSELLER’S list in hardback longer than the inferior The Da Vinci Code it was so unfortunately compared to when released (I suppose the publishers were hoping to tap into the audience that made Dan Brown’s bestseller the phenomenon it was)
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-11 06:23:30.
(Language: English)
The plot itself is very interesting, but the writing style annoys me-- how could the main character's father would put in SO MUCH information in his letters to her with worthless details such as "I began to perspire and noticed Helen was too" when the father was writing about an event 15 years prior to that letter!!???!!! NO FRIGGING WAY it will ever happen. Fictional all the way. The book is a constant reminder that the book will NEVER happen for real (even before you began to read about vampires) because the dialogues and the body language that the author described are too awkward to be applied in real-life. I think the author needs to take one or two classes in cultural anthropology to study the way of HUMANS... too wrapped up with vampirism. I read the book whenever I am on the Metro, because it is easy to pick up again (it is so predictive) so I finished the book only to find it very disappointed and it was a waste of 5 dollars (got the book on sale... a red flag should be shot up by then). My big pet peeve is that you cannot imagine the story because you know it is not natural (apart from the vampirism). It just shows that you cannot write. Overall-- The Historian was a VERY DRY book with an unnatural style of writing that annoys you because you know real people won't talk or write like that. If you want to read about a soap-opera involved vampires among the academics folks like the historians, anthropologists, and the likes, this is the book for you.
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Wendy posted a review at 2007-12-31 04:26:01.
(Language: English)
I suppose if you like vampire lore then this book will be right up your alley. I don't especially like that genre of books and I thought this book had way too much detail. In some places I literally had to force myself to plow through it. Briefly, the story is told by a 16 year old girl (whose name we never learn) about the searches her father and mother made after a university professor mysteriously disappears. The professor was the father's thesis adviser and the mother was the professor's daughter although one he never acknowledged. The two (who were not married at the start of their search) go to Constantinople and Budapest and Bucharest and finally Sofia in Bulgaria in their search which they believe involves finding the final resting place of Dracula, aka Vlad the Impaler. The bulk of the story is related to the daughter by letters the father leaves while he goes off to search for his wife who disappeared when the daughter was only 9 months old. The only part of the book I really cared about was the girl's attempts to find her father and perhaps her mother and that really only took a few chapters out of the whole story. If nothing else I learned a lot about eastern European geography so at least reading this book wasn't a total waste.
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