The Historian

This book is a bit of a slow burn and definitely took a bit to finish even though it passed my 1oo page rule. The narrative tends to meander along, giving you just enough intrigue to keep you reading, wondering where on earth this is going and what the author is going to do with this story.

I absolutley LOVED all the in depth research that Kostova put into this, it paid off beautifully and enriched the story beyond compare. The way she pulled together so many aspects of Dracula's folklore and mythology and researched how it sunk into Eastern European culture was utterly breath taking and I found such enjoyment in finding things I already knew about vampiric myths with completely knew information to add to my little collection. I also show more loved the descriptions of communist Cold War era Eastern Europe and the paranoia that comes with it, but also the rich history that these countries and regions had and the way that they mixed and existed alongside and inspite of each other.

At times I did struggle with the switch between narrators and remembering who was speaking and who was listening, it was a bit of a matroyshka doll at some points but I managed to make it through after a bit of flipping to and fro and re-reading of a few parts and it didn't take away from the story enough to deter me from continuing.

Ultimately this book is an honest to goodness work of art. show less

The basic premise of this novel is that Vlad Tepes, the historical figure upon whom Dracula is supposedly based, has remained undead well into the 20th century, and continues to walk the earth. Several historians have been mysteriously recruited over the generations to try to track him down and destroy him in the time-honored way by shooting him with a silver bullet, or driving a stake through his heart while he's immobile in his sarcophagus. All they need to do is find the sarcophagus. He demonstrably is not buried in the tomb that tradition has assigned to him, but the quest to discover where he rests has led only to deaths, disappearances and unholy transformations.
I found this premise intriguing, and hoped to get caught up in the show more quest myself. Unfortunately, the execution (sorry) of the story line was overwrought, the characters (with a couple exceptions) unsympathetic and the ending abrupt and unsatisfying. (And that epilogue?? Just. Bad.)
Most of the narrative is told in the form of letters or journals, in an obvious homage to Bram Stoker's classic. But this style becomes very ponderous, as there are several narrators, all using the first person, all telling similar tales at various points in time. In the first half of the book, the shifts between narrators come fast and furiously, often several times in a single chapter. I really found it hard to keep my place. Then, one narrator just becomes silent for long stretches, and the story flows uninterrupted for while. The reader travels to ancient castles, medieval monasteries, tiny forgotten villages in Romania and Bulgaria; the research involves translators and official guides who must not learn the true nature of the mission; the adventures lead to breathtaking views and heart-stopping frights. There were times when I did get quite engaged with the story, despite what I consider its terribly awkward construction. But overall, I consider this book a failure, and really wish someone else had taken the same idea and written it more simply. Kostova just has too many story elements working here -- -a vampire hunt, a love story, political intrigue, a historical saga based in several centuries, a bildungsroman in which a young woman learns a disturbing truth about her parents, another love story, a mystery, another mystery, another love story--- they get in each other's way. A weak 3 stars. show less

My wife begged, cajoled, and pleaded with me for a couple of years to read this book. She never told me it was about vampires, because I dislike vampire stories (particularly of the contemporary sort). I finally relented, and began reading "The Historian." By the time I was fully aware that it was a "vampire" book, however, I was completely enthralled with Kostova's treatment. This is an excellent book, a joy to read, and an example of what contemporary literature could be like if the authors would only take the time to learn how to write.

PROs: 1. The book intertwines several stories taking place over the span of at least 500 years. Kostova wrote the book in serious style, avoiding contemporary idiomatic phrases, references, etc. show more Instead, it is written in (essentially) classical English - even those parts of the book that take place from 1974 on. This gives the book a consistent texture that keeps all of the stories connected. Her prose is marvelous to read, and adds to the general ambiance of the tale.

2. It does require some concentration to keep track of where the narrative is (or when it refers to), but this is used effectively by Kostova to create a constant tension throughout the book. Suspenseful it is. Very tightly interwoven, it is. After the first few chapters, one is able to follow the flow of the story very easily, even though the narrator changes, the time period changes, and the direction of the specific activity changes quite frequently. I found myself becoming more engrossed in the story, and more emotionally in tune with the characters, despite the changes in narrative perspective. Kostova is able to use her particular narrative style to great effect.

3. This isn't your typical blood and gore story, although there is enough blood and gore to go around. It is primarily a book about historical research, and is executed in such a way as to be entertaining, informational, and suspenseful. The characters are well described and credible. It avoids being sensationalistic, and almost achieves a wonderful sense of understatement that makes the reader eager to continue.

CON: the ending is almost contrived, and I must admit to having felt somewhat cheated. Almost 95% of the book is so well written, so well plotted, and so well structured, that the last 5% seems anti-climactic. The beauty of the first 95% deserves a far better ending than it gets here (that almost becomes hokey, to tell the truth). The final epilogue to the book returns to the style and demeanor of the bulk of the book; it's just that where one should find a superb denouement, one finds almost a Hollywood, slap-dash ending. This is why I take away 1/2 of a star.

I would put Kostova on a par with Dan Simmons when it comes to using the English language to its fullest potential to convey the essence of a story. Brilliant writing marred only by a so-so ending. show less

Having grown up on Dark Shadows, I do like a little vampire story from time to time. However, this one is so nonsensical and the characters are so foolish and irrational that my rising level of irritation with the author barely let me get through it. You could drive a stake through the plot holes. I find it very hard to believe that in the 1960s a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula could be so freaking hard to find. The story follows several generations of historians who are all apparently fabulously wealthy and can leave their ivory towers to prance around eastern Europe chasing vampires whenever they feel like it. They have no qualms about dragging their friends, co-workers, lovers and children along even though it means endangering their show more immortal souls. All the male characters are either aghast, horrified, speechless, astonished, stunned, stupified or otherwise at a loss. This doesn't stop them from waltzing down to the crypt to see who's home. They are plagued with evil librarians and vampire protecting monks. Candles were in constant use, not just candles but blazing candleabras, when flashlights would have been imminently more practical and likely. Dracula seems only to want to be left in peace with a good book, but there are clues everywhere leading to his location. I wish he'd done for the whole lot of them. I felt like I was lost in a Scooby Doo cartoon without the Mystery Machine. This was positively silly. show less

600 pages of dull, plodding travelogue followed by 40 pages of action that whips by so quickly it's barely comprehensible. Dracula, when he finally arrives, is actually pretty fun -- far better company than any of the other interchangeably milquetoast characters -- but it's too little too late.

There is an interesting story clumsily suggested by this book: a revisiting of the Dracula mythos from the point of view of the Ottomans and their descendents. I'd love to see that.

https://donut-donut.dreamwidth.org/830055.html

This book will bore you to undeath.

In the hands of Bram Stoker, telling the story of Dracula through multiple narrators added to the mystery, tension, and suspense. In the hands of Kostova, you can't tell a 16-year-old girl in 1972 from her Romanian mother, her American father, or his English mentor writing twenty to forty years prior. They all sound the same, and they all sound like travel writers who have no ear for dialogue, and no sense of pacing or suspenseful storytelling. That this book takes almost 700 pages to tell an utterly unconvincing, uncompelling story is scarier than anything between the covers.

In the more interesting vampire stories, the vampire is usually driven by something more compelling than the need for a good show more librarian(!)(?). I won't spoil the dramatic climax to the book since there is none. If you're able to read that scene without staring at the pages in disbelief (and not in a good way, I might add), then all I can say is, Wow, really?

Don't ask me why I read the whole thing. I think I was just curious to know why the publisher would pony up a multimillion-dollar advance to a first-time author. While I'm no closer to understanding why, at least I didn't suffer any permanent damage (at least not physical). The psychological scars and wasted time (hours of my life gone) will take longer to heal. But you don't have to end up like me. If you find a copy of this book lying in a study carrel, just leave it there.

You've been warned. show less

I read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova twice. I found it haunting each time, the way Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale is haunting. What got me going each time, besides the twisted plot, was the beautiful blend of well-researched history, folklore, and prose.
The story begins with a 1th century book and a pack of old letters and follows a young woman chasing across Eastern Europe (especially Turkey, Hungary and Romania during the Cold War) to obsessively unravel the truth about Vlad Tepes, Drakulya, or better the real man behind Dracula. But the one we get to glimpse over here is one rather obsessed with history, with controlling it, manipulating it to the point of horror. I found this a fresh take on the old villain.
What show more shines in this novel are the history and travel. The atmosphere is thick with danger and it sucks you in. This book is a free ticket through shadowed libraries, ancient monasteries and the dark heart of history itself.
I recommend it to anyone who loves tales steeped in librarians, archivists, historians, the thrill of research, and the rich tapestry of Eastern European history and travel. show less